Bobby Bobolink turned his head away so that his wife wouldn't notice the smile that flitted across his face. He saw that Mrs. Bobolink didn't know Johnnie Green very well.
In summer Johnnie almost always went barefooted. And he never minded getting his feet wet any more than Paddy Muskrat did.
But if his wife wanted their nest[p. 40] near the swamp, Bobby Bobolink was willing to oblige her.
"Very well!" he said. "Let's go down there now and look for the best place to build."
So off they flew. And after a careful search they discovered a snug little hollow in the ground that entirely suited them both.
Since the spot was somewhat moist, early in the season as it was the grass grew thick and high all around, making a fine screen to prevent prying eyes from seeing what was to be hidden there.
Having decided on their building site, Bobby Bobolink and his wife began to gather weed stems, leaves and coarse grasses, all left over from the year before and dried by the spring sunshine. Those served for the outside of the nest. As for the inside, they lined that with soft,[p. 41] fine grasses, because they expected to keep something precious in that nest before a great while.