After half an hour of the katydids William spoke.

“Nick Damon’s helpin’ in the south lot t’day,” he observed.

“Was he?” asked his mother, pausing a moment in her rocking.

“Yep.”

Again he smoked, and the monotonous clamor was uninterrupted.

Zig-a-zig! Zig-zig! Zig-a-zig-a-zig!

Slowly, against the background of this machine-like clicking, there grew other sounds, weird, unhappy, far away.

Wheep, wheep, wheep!

This was a high, thin crying.

Buroom! Brrroom! broom!