"Mis' Emmons knew he was hungry, and she took Miss Sidney and Insley off to the kitchen to find something to eat, and left me with the little fellow, me spreading out his clothes in front of the fire to dry. He set real still, like being dry and being with somebody was all he wanted. And of course that is a good deal.
"I don't always quite know how to start talking to a child. I'm always crazy to talk with them, but I'm so afraid of that shy, grave, criticizin' look they have. I feel right off like apologizing for the silly question I've just asked them. I felt that way now when Christopher looked at me, real dignified and wondering. 'What you going to be when you grow up to be a man?' was what I had just asked him. And yet I don't know what better question I could of asked him, either.
"'I'm goin' to have a cream-puff store, an' make it all light in the window,' he answers ready.
"'All light in the window?' I says puzzled.
"'And I'm going to keep a church,' he goes on, 'and I'm going to make nice, black velvet for their coffings.'
"I didn't know quite what to make of that, not being able to think back very far into his mind. So I kept still a few minutes.
"'What was you doin' in the church?' he says to me, all at once.
"'I don't really know. Waiting for you to come, I guess, Christopher,' I says.
"'Was you?' he cried, delighted. 'Pretty soon I came!' He looked in the fire, sort of troubled. 'Is God outdoors nights?' he says.