“It’s all creamy and sugary inside,” explained Joanne.
Unc’ Aaron pawed at Pablo with a funny sidewise movement as he spluttered with laughter. “Laws, honey,” he exclaimed, “I a-thinkin’ all de time it one o’ dese yer mak believes, jes’ fur a pretty, an’ not fur no mastification. Yas, miss, I eats it ef yuh says so.” He was still doubtful of its fitness for food, but rather than disappoint the young lady he was ready to swallow it whole if she demanded it.
As for Pablo, his English was unequal to the occasion and he poured forth his thanks in appreciative Spanish winding up with the assertion that he kissed her hand and placed himself at her feet.
Then there was a brief visit to Chico when Joanne had scarce more than time to kiss his dark head and give him a lump of sugar she had brought him, before Mrs. Clover called to her to come and see her baby chicks and yellow ducklings, then Cousin Ned was ready to go and off they started with a big basket of eggs, two bottles of cream, and other country products.
The evening sun spread a soft light upon the land, picking out sparkles in the river and touching to a vivid green the young leaves on the most adventurous of the trees. In the distance old Sugarloaf loomed up faintly blue, while from a scraggy sycamore a cardinal bird showed his splendor against a background of pines. Once in a while the plaintive note of a peewee or the cheerier whistle of a robin greeted them as they sped along, and once from out a depth of dense forest sounded the liquid song of a wood-thrush.
For a long time Joanne sat in silence. Her cousin, too, seemed lost in thought. After a while, however, he asked: “What are you thinking about, Jo?”
“I’m not thinking; I’m just enjoying,” she made answer. “It is all so lovely that I want it to soak in. One thing I did think about a little while ago was that I mean to study the birds. It seems to me I never shall have a better chance.”
“You couldn’t find a better locality,” her cousin assured her. Then they lapsed into silence again and soon were threading their way through the city’s streets, reaching home with not an egg broken.
CHAPTER VII
DYE AWAY
BEARING a basket of eggs between them Joanne and Winnie arrived at Miss Chesney’s house the next morning. As the door opened a great chattering was heard.