“Whatcha see, Henry?”—from the shadows under the awning where the man had rested.
“Huh!”
“See anythin’ o’ the cow that Bud Shamleffer lost last week up there?”
“H’m-m!”
And now Joshua, encouraged by the awe in the man’s voice, began speaking. He told in his soft tones of wondrous plains and craters and sea bottoms, and instructed his pupil where to look for them. The other men left the whittled bench and stood around, silent, listening intently to every word. Women stopped in their parade, and halted at the edge of the little throng. Some held youngsters by the hand. Girls giggled at they knew not what.
“Hush, Albert!” came a shrill voice. “Listen to what the young man is saying, can’t you? Yes, it’s a spyglass, and Mr. Haddon is looking at the moon. How much does it cost to look, Pa?... Yes, if you’ll be good and keep still Pa’ll let you look through it. Won’t you, Pa? Albert Washburn, if you don’t keep still Pa’ll—”
“The awe-inspiring Sea of Serenity embraces an area of one hundred and twenty-five thousand miles. It is almost entirely surrounded by mountains. The oddly twisted range seen running for—”
“Albert Washburn, will you hush?”
“—hundreds of miles along its western floor suggests the action of water, as does also the wrinkled plain of Mare Tranquilitatis. Note how marvelously interspersed are the light and dark regions—”
“C’mon away, Haddon, an’ give somebody else a look. Yer three minutes is up long time ago!”