Children on Their Birthdays

An early work by Truman Capote, the short story “Children on Their Birthdays” (1948) tells the story of a pretty young girl’s arrival in a small southern town and the influence she has on the other children and adults living there.

The narrator says that yesterday afternoon the 6 p.m. bus ran over ten-year-old Miss Bobbit. A year before, Miss Bobbit had arrived on that very same bus with her mother for the narrator’s cousin Billy Bob’s birthday. As the boys sat on their porch eating ice cream, Miss Bobbit emerged from the road dust wearing a party dress, makeup, and carrying a parasol, walking in a strangely adult manner while her mother dragged their luggage behind her. The boys are transfixed as the pretty girl approaches the house and asks if she can speak with the “grownup persons of the house.”

She introduces herself to Aunt El as Miss Lily Jane Bobbit, telling her they have come from Memphis, Tennessee. She asks for directions to the boarding house where she and her mother have taken rooms. Billy Bob invites her to stay and have ice cream, but Miss Bobbit declines because ice cream is fattening. Miss Bobbit tells them that her mother cannot speak so she speaks for her; her mother is an excellent seamstress who made the dress she is certain they have all been admiring.

The girls and some of the boys begin to mock Miss Bobbit after she leaves, making fun of her manners and odd ways, but the older boys are attracted to her. Across the street at the boarding house, Miss Bobbit emerges, playing music on the Victrola and dancing as the boys and other children watch, mesmerized.

They do not see Miss Bobbit for some time after that, but the boys hang around, making excuses to spend time near the boarding house, singing and performing in an attempt to catch her notice. Miss Sawyer, the owner of the boarding house, tells Aunt El that Miss Bobbit’s father is in jail back in Tennessee, commenting on their odd ways, such as eating all their food raw.

Aunt El discovers her prize roses have been taken, and calls the Sheriff, who informs her that they weren’t stolen—Billy Bob gave them to Miss Bobbit. Aunt El punishes Billy Bob with a switch, but Billy Bob refuses to apologize. Later, Aunt El apologizes to him for losing her temper.

People in town continue to parade by the house to see Miss Bobbit, who is polite but disinterested in most people. One day, the boys assault Rosalba Cat, a black girl, and Miss Bobbit comes running from the house in fury. She admonishes the boys for their cruelty, and helping Rosalba up, invites her to sit with her on the porch. The two girls become fast friends, referring to each other as sisters; the town goes along with this idea as it does with most of Miss Bobbit’s ideas—initially with humor and doubt, then accepting them as facts of life, because Miss Bobbit’s personality is so powerful.

Miss Bobbit and Sister Rosalba embark on a war against the stray dogs that afflict the town, howling at night. After the Sheriff refuses to do anything about them, the girls prowl the town with a bucket of rocks, identifying the dogs that howl under her window and throwing rocks at them to chase them away. Later, Mr. Henderson, an alcoholic living in the boarding house, attacks the girls, convinced they are stealing his toilet paper. Several boys subdue the man and try to tie him up, but Miss Bobbit complains they don’t know how to tie knots and does so herself, making the rope so tight Mr. Henderson cannot walk for a week afterward.

Miss Bobbit tells the narrator that she believes in being friendly to the Devil so he will do her favors, and then asks if he thinks any of the boys would make good assistants. Billy Bob and a boy named Preacher become assistants to Miss Bobbit and Sister Rosalba as they sell a cosmetics line. The boys make deliveries. Billy Bob suffers heatstroke working for Miss Bobbit, and Aunt El forbids him to work for her any more. Then Miss Bobbit comes over and gives Billy Bob an alcohol massage, shocking Aunt El. Afterward, Billy Bob works even harder for her.

Preacher and Billy Bob have a jealous fight in which Preacher accuses Billy Bob of cheating Miss Bobbit, but it is really about their jealousy over her attention. After this, Billy Bob and Preacher are no longer friends, but Miss Bobbit and Sister Rosalba are very nice to Billy Bob, letting him do everything for them.

A con man Manny Fox puts on a talent show. Miss Bobbit enters and performs a provocative, mature dance. Everyone celebrates her performance, even though Manny steals everyone’s money. Miss Bobbit approaches Manny, persuading him to give the money back to everyone, and proving to the narrator how powerful she is.

She announces that she is leaving for Hollywood to become a star. Everyone believes her and is sad to see her go. People bring flowers and food to see her off. She is then run over by the bus.