It wuz a lovely night, as I could see plain, for the big windows wuz wide open and the moon shone bright in the east, while yet the rosy glow had not faded out of the western sky.
I sot down with my knittin’ work, and as I sot there a peacefully seamin’ three and one on Josiah’s sock, I see a little white bird come a flyin’ along from towards the clump of roses and magnolias that riz up over little Belle Fanchon’s grave.
It flew along most to the window, and settled down on a wavin’ rose branch, and there it swung back and forth and sung a sweet sort of a invitin’ song. And into its liquid notes seemed to be blent sunthin’ sad and sort o’ comfortin’, and sunthin’ high, and inspirin’, and glad.
I thought I had seen and hearn most every kind of song bird sence I had been South; but thinkses I to myself, I don’t believe I ever see a bird that looked exactly like that, or heard a song that wuz quite so sweet, so sad.
It sot there for all the world as if it wuz a waitin’ for sunthin’.
I didn’t say nuthin’, but I couldn’t help watchin’ it. I felt queer.
Bimeby Victor came up the steps and come in—he had been down on the lawn for a flower for Genieve—and bein’ startled by him, I spoze, the bird flew up a little ways onto a branch that hung over the porch, and kep’ on with that same plaintive, sweet song, and it had that same air as if it wuz a waitin’, waitin’ for somebody or sunthin’.
But pretty soon Maggie come in, and Victor begun to tell us how all his preparations wuz completed, and about his plans, and his hopes, etc., and I got all took up with ’em, and then I had to set my heel—or ruther Josiah’s heel, and that takes up sights of mind and intellect to do it jest right.
And jest as I got it set, in come Snow, the precious darlin’, with her youngest dolly in her arms.
She made me kiss it good-night. I didn’t really want to, its face wuz pasty and bare in patches, but I done it, and got two kisses from Snow’s sweet little lips to take the taste out of my mouth.