When I so did see it do, I did open my mouth too, like it did. The husband of Dear Love did laugh. I did have asking of him why he did laugh, for it was not thoughtful to laugh at the little hungry bird that did have so hungry feels and lonesome ones. He did say in his gentle way that it was not at the little bird he did laugh. He did say he just did laugh sometimes when he had thinks about things at work. I told him it was nice he had thoughtfuls of the nest that they saw in the tree after it did fall. He said he thought of me and that made him think it would be nice to bring the nest home, and he broke off another piece of egg for the little bird. And more he so did. And every time I did drop a piece of egg into the mouth of the little bird, I did open my mouth wide, too, from seeing the bird do it.
When it was full of satisfaction feels, Dear Love did fix it all up nice in a warm little box. She is going to give it careful cares so it will grow up. She has asked me to pick out a name for it. I am so going to do. And to-morrow I am going to have the funerals of the other five little birds that did get death as the tree did fall. Dear Love gave me white soft pieces to wrap them in and the husband of Dear Love says he will make the tombstones for their graves. I am going to bury them at Dreux by Blaise. There will they rest. On to-morrow it so will be.
To-night when I was come home, I took the pillow from my bed to sit on at the supper-table because the back part of me did feel so sore from that spanking the mamma gave me with the egg-turner out in the garden to-day.
After supper-time I did have seeing out the window of the night. It was calling, “Petite Françoise, come, petite Françoise.” I went. Brave Horatius followed after. We went adown the path. A big silver yellow ball was coming up over the hill. We made a stop. I did climb on a rock to watch its coming. Brave Horatius put his nose by my hand. I gave him pats. He looked up at me. I told him, “C’est la pleine lune.” We went on. We went on to the hill where its coming was.
[CHAPTER XXXI
How Lola Wears her White Silk Dress at Last.]
Lola has got her white silk dress that she did have so much wants for, and it has a little ruffle around the neck and one around each sleeve like she had wants for it to have. It is nice she is a great lady now. She so did say at school she would be a great lady when she did have her white silk dress on. And, too, at school she did say the children would gather around her and sing, and they did. And she did say at school, when the children would gather around her and sing when she does have her white silk dress on—she did say then she would stand up and stretch out her arms and bestow her blessing on all of them like the deacon does to the people in the church in the mill town—but she did n’t. She did n’t even raise up her hands. She staid asleep in that long box the whole time the children was marching around her and singing “Nearer My God to Thee,” and more songs. She did just lay there in that long box with her white silk dress on and her eyes shut and her hands folded and she was very still all the time.
Her sister did cry. I did walk up to her and touch her hand where she did sit in the rocking-chair. I did have asks if it was a white silk dress she was having wants for, too. And she patted my hand and I told her maybe she would get a white silk dress soon too, and how nice it was Lola did have hers, what she had wants for—and the ruffles in its neck and sleeves. And Lola’s sister did pat me on the head and went out to her kitchen, and I did go out of doors again.
And there was Brave Horatius by the steps, and I saw a yellow butterfly and a little way away there was a mud-puddle. By the mud-puddle was a guêpe. She came. She went. Every time she did come she did take a bit of mud. I did watch. When she was gone away, a little hole was where she did take the mud. She did make comes again. It was for mud she did come every time. Last time I did follow after. It was a difficulty—the following after. She was so little a person and the way she did go, it was a quick way. And I had seeing she was making a cradle of mud for a baby guêpe to be.
Then I went a little way back. I saw a white butterfly. I have wonders if Lola will wear her white silk dress to school when fall time is come. I saw one more white butterfly. I looked more looks about. Among the grasses on a little bush there was a katydid. And its green was a pretty greenness. Its wings, they were folded close. And it was washing its front feet. I have thinks katydids do keep their feet most clean. They do wash them again and more times. I so do like to keep watches of the way the katydid does clean its face with its front foot. I have thinks to be a katydid would be an interest life.