“And I,” said Budge, “would like to know when we’re all goin’ for a ride again.”
“I don’t mean silly things of that sort,” said Mrs. Burton, “but——”
“Ain’t silly fings!” said Toddie. “Deysh what makesh ush happy.”
Mrs. Burton made a mental note of the justice of the rebuke, and of its connection with the subject of which her heart was already full; but she was still Alice Mayton Burton, a lady whose perceptions could not easily prevent her from following the paths which she had already laid out for herself, so she replied:
“I know they are; but I want to teach you whatever you want to learn about matters of more importance.”
“Do you mean that you want to play school?” asked Budge. “Papa don’t think school is healthy for children in warm weather, an’ neither do we.”
“No, I don’t want to play school, but I want to explain to you some of the things which you say you don’t understand, though people tell you all about them. It makes Aunt Alice very unhappy to think that her dear little nephews are troubled about understanding things when they want so much to do so. Aunt Alice was once a little bit of a girl, and had just the same sort of trouble, and she remembers how uncomfortable it made her.”
“Oh!” said Budge, changing his position until he could look into his aunt’s eyes. “Did you ever have to wonder how big moons got to be little again, an’ then have big folks tell you they chopped up the old moons an’ made stars of them, when you knew the story must be an awful whopper?”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Burton.
“An’ didn’t you ever wunner what dinner was goin’ to be made of, an’ den have big folks just say ‘never mind’?” asked Toddie.