Part 17 (2/2)
But next moment he roused himself and sat up and shook his feathers as if he relished the joke.
The children had a delightful half hour with the captain's widow and her pets; only Lucy could not be satisfied because Bab was away.
”Too bad you went off riding yesterday,” said she as they sat next morning playing with their dolls. ”You never saw that blind canary that shoots himself, and comes to life and rings a bell.”
”But can't I see him sometime, Auntie Lucy?”
”You can, oh, yes, and I'll go with you. But, Bab, you ought to have heard our talk about the play! Kyzie is going to be as much as a hundred years old, and I guess Uncle James will be a hundred and fifty. And they've got a pair of old gla.s.ses with sand inside--the same kind that Adam and Eve used to have.”
”Why-ee! Did Adam and Eve wear gla.s.ses? 'Tisn't in their pictures; _I_ never saw 'em with gla.s.ses on!”
”No, no, I don't mean gla.s.ses _wear_! I said gla.s.ses with sand inside; _that's_ what Uncle James has got. Runs out every hour. Sits on the table.”
”Oh, I know what you mean, auntie! You mean an _hour-gla.s.s!_ Grandpa Hale has one and I've seen lots of 'em in France.”
Lucy felt humbled. Though pretending to be Bab's aunt, she often found that her little niece knew more than she knew herself!
”Seems queer about Adam and Eve,” said she, hastening to change the subject; ”who do you s'pose took care of 'em when they were little babies?”
”Why, Auntie Lucy, there wasn't ever any _babiness_ about Adam and Eve!
Don't you remember, they stayed just exactly as they were made!”
”Yes, so they did. I forgot.”
Lucy had made another mistake. This was not like a ”truly auntie”; still it did not matter so very much, for Bab never laughed at her and they loved each other ”dearilee.”
”You know a great many things, don't you, Bab? And _I_ keep forgetting 'em.”
”Oh, I know all about the world and the garden of Eden; _that's_ easy enough,” replied the wise niece.
And then they went back to their dolls.
Half an hour later Kyzie Dunlee was standing in the schoolhouse door with a group of children about her when Nate Pollard appeared. As he looked at her he remembered ”Jimmy's play,” and the parts they were both to take in it; and the thought of little Kyzie as his poor old grandmother seemed so funny to Nate that he began to laugh and called out, ”Good morning, grandmother!”
He meant no harm; but Kyzie thought him very disrespectful to accost her in that way before the children, and she tossed her head without answering him.
Nate was angry. How polite he had always been to her, never telling her what a queer school she kept! And now that he had consented to be her grandson in Jimmy's play, just to please her and the rest of the family, it did seem as if she needn't put on airs in this way!
”Ahem!” said he; ”did you hear about that dreadful earthquake in San Diego?”
There had been a very slight one, but he was trying to tease her.
”No, oh, no!” she replied, throwing up both hands. ”When was it?”
”Last night. I'm afraid of 'em myself, and if we get one here to-day you needn't be surprised to see me cut and run right out of the schoolhouse.”
The children looked at him in alarm. Kyzie could not allow this.
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