“Dil, ef it wosn’t fer them ere freckles right acrost yer nose, an’ you wos a little fatter, you’d be jes’ as pooty as they make ’em. Youse growed real han’some, only you want some red cheeks.”
Dil colored at the praise. Did a light shine in her face because she had seen Bess? She would like to tell Patsey all about it. Yes, she had really seen her, but it was all infolded in mystery. How could she make it plain?
The boys ate up every crumb, and seasoned their repast with much merry jesting. Then they wanted to go on again. Wasn’t Dil rested enough to go to the Museum?
It was a long walk, and after they entered Dil was glad to sit down. She looked at the curious white marble people, and asked Patsey if “they was truly people or dead folks.” Shorty said “it was the mummies who were dead folks;” but Dil shuddered at the thought of Bess being like that. There were so many curious things, beautiful things, that the child was bewildered.
“’Tain’t so nice as out o’ doors,” said Fin. “There’s somethin’ in the trees an’ flowers, an’ them places that are so still an’ quiet like, that stirs a feller all up.”
Rough and unlearned as they were, nature appealed to them powerfully. Ah, what a day it was!
“I’ve never had but just one time in my life that was so lovely,” said Dil with sweet gratefulness: “an’ that wasn’t so beautiful, only strange. If anybody was so runnin’ over full o’ happiness all the time, ’pears to me it would kinder choke them all round the heart, so’s they couldn’t live.”
“Don’t know ’bout that,” and Patsey chuckled. “Happy people ain’t dyin’ off no faster’n other people, an’ don’t commit suicide so easy. But, golly! ’twould take a good deal to fill a feller up chock full o’ happiness, ’cause it’s suthin’ like ice-cream, keeps meltin’ down all the time, ’n’ youse can pack in some more.”
“I jes’ wish we had some now!” cried Owen, referring to the cream.
“It’s been—well—super splacious! There ain’t no word long ernuff to hold all’s been crowded in this ere day,” cried Fin enthusiastically. “Say, boys, why don’t we come agin? Only ther’s music days—an golly! I jes’ wish I had lots of money an’ a vacation. Vacations ain’t no good when you don’t have money.”