“Uncle Morris?”
“Well, little puss, what now?” replied the old gentleman, as he kissed her rosy cheeks.
“I want you to tell me what you sighed and shook your head for, last week, when I told you what good times I was going to have with my cousins?” said Jessie, closely watching the expression of the old gentleman’s face.
There was a merry twinkle in Uncle Morris’s eyes, as he replied, “You have a good memory for a laughing little puss. Well, I’m glad you have not yet found out why I sighed. I hope you won’t make the discovery, though I fear you will before another week passes. There is a proverb which says, It’s only the shoe that knows whether the stocking has holes in it or not. Now, Jessie, if you can find out the meaning of this proverb, you will know why I sighed. If you don’t find it out in a week, I’ll explain it to you.”
“How funny!” exclaimed the little girl; and then, putting on a thoughtful air, she repeated the proverb slowly, in an undertone; after which, she added aloud, “I don’t see what shoes and stockings have to do with my cousins and me. What a funny man you are, Uncle Morris!”
Uncle Morris had, by this time, reached the door leading to the back piazza. He heard this exclamation, however, and turning round, with the door-knob in his hand, he peeped through the opening, shook his forefinger at her, and said—
“When Jessie knows her cousins as the shoe knows the stocking, she will be able to tell why I sighed. Ha! ha! ha! Uncle Morris is a funny man, is he?”
Just then a loud voice was heard ringing through the hall, and saying—
“Cousin Jessie! Cousin Jessie! come here quick! Your ugly old dog is killing my sister!”
“Not quite so bad as that, I guess,” said Jessie, when she reached the front door, where she saw Emily sitting on the greensward, rubbing the back of her head. Old Rover was standing on the piazza, uttering a low growl at Charlie, by way of warning him not to throw any more stones at his dogship.