第13章

wentdownthehill，crossedthecreekonthestepping-stones，andfollowedthecowpathintothewoodspasture。Itranbesidethecreekbankthroughthespicethicketandblackberrypatches，underpawpawgroves，andbeneathgiantoaksandelms。Justwherethecreekturnedattheopenpasture，belowthechurchandcemetery，rightatthedeepbend，stoodthebiggestwhiteoakfatherowned。ItwasaboutatreeexactlylikethisthatanEnglishmanwroteabeautifulpoeminMcGuffey’sSixth，thatbegins：

“Asongtotheoak，thebraveoldoak，Whohathruledinthegreenwoodlong；

Here’shealthandrenowntohisbroadgreencrown，Andhisfiftyarmssostrong。“

Iknewitwasthesame，becauseIcountedthearmstimeandagain，andtherewereexactlyfifty。Therewasapawpawandspicehedgearoundthreesidesofthisone，andwaterontheother。Wildgrapesclimbedfromthebushestothelowerbranchesandtrailedbacktoearthagain。Here，IhadtwosecretsI

didn’tproposetotell。Onewasthatinthecrotchofsometiptopbranchesthebiggestchickenhawksyoueversawhadtheirnest，andiftheytooktoomanychickensfathersaidthey’dhavetobefrightenedalittlewithagun。Ican’tbegintotellhowIlovedthosehawks。TheydidtheonethingIwantedtomost，andnevercould。WhenIsawthemserenelysoarabovethelowestofthesoftfleecySeptemberclouds，Iwaswildwithenvy。I

wouldhavegonewithoutchickenmyselfratherthanhaveseenoneofthosesplendidbigbrownbirdsdroppedfromtheskies。Iwassocarefultoshieldthem，thatIselectedthisformyespecialretreatwhenIwantedmosttobealone，andIcarefullygatheredupanyoffalfromthenestthatmightpointouttheirlocation，andthrewitintothewaterwhereitrantheswiftest。

Ipartedthevinesandcreptwheretherootsofthebigoakstretchedlikebonyfingersoverthewater，thatwasslowlyeatingunderitandbaringitsroots。Isatonthemabovethewaterandthought。Ihaddecidedthedaybeforeaboutmygoingtoschool，andthedaybeforethat，andmany，manytimesbeforethat，andhereIwashavingtosettleitalloveragain。Doubledonthesakroots，atroubledlittlesoul，Isettleditoncemore。

Nobooksorteacherswereneededtotellmeaboutflowingwaterandfish，howhawksraisedtheirbroodsandkepthouse，aboutthesoftlycooingdovesofthespicethickets，thecuckoosslippingsnakelikeinandoutofthewildcrab-applebushes，orthebrownthrush’sweirdcallfromthethornbush。Iknewwhattheysaidanddid，buttheirnames，wheretheycamefrom，wheretheywentwhenthewindblewandthesnowfell——howwasIgoingtofindoutthat？Worseyetweretheflowers，butterflies，andmoths；theyweremysteriespastlearningalone，andwhilethenamesImadeupforthemwereprettyandsuitable，Iknewinallreasontheywouldn’tbethesameinthebooks。Ihadtogo，butnoonewilleverknowwhatitcost。Whenthesupperbellrang，Isatstill。

I’dhavetowaituntilatleasttwotableshadbeenserved，anyway，soIsatthereandnursedmymisery，lookedandlistened，andbyandbyIfeltbetter。Icouldn’tseeorhearathingthatwasstandingstill。Fathersaideventherocksgrewlargeryearbyyear。Thetreesweregettingbigger，thebirdswerebusy，andthecreekwasinadreadfulhurrytoreachtheriver。Itwaslikethatpoetrypiecethatsays：

“Whenaplayfulbrook，yougambolled，“

(Mostlythatgambolledwordissaidaboutlambs)

“Andthesunshineo’eryousmiled，Onyourbanksdidchildrenloiter，Lookingforthespringflowerswild？“

Thecreekwasmoreinearnestandworkingharderatpushingsteadilyaheadwithouteverstoppingthananythingelse；andlikethepoetrypieceagain，itreallydid“seemtosmileuponusasitquicklypassedusby。“Ihadtoquitplaying，andgotoworksometime；itmademesorrytothinkhowbehindIwas，becauseI

hadnotstartedtwoyearsbefore，whenIshould。Butthatcouldn’tbehelpednow。Alltherewasleftwastogothistime，forsure。Igotupheavilyandslowlyasanoldperson，andthenslippedoutandrandownthepathtothemeadow，becauseIcouldhearLeonwhistleashecametobringthecows。

ByfastrunningIcouldstartthemhomeforhim：Rose，Brindle，Bess，andPidy，SukeyandMuley；theyhadeatenallday，buttheystillsnatchedbitesastheywenttowardthegate。IwantedtosurpriseLeonandIdid。

“Gettinggood，ain’tyou？“heasked。“Whatdoyouwant？“

“Nothing！“Isaid。“IjustheardyoucomingandIthoughtI’dhelpyou。“

“Wherewereyou？“

“Playing。“

“Youdon’tlookasifyou’dbeenhavingmuchfun。“

“Idon’texpectevertohaveany，afterIbeginschool。“

“Oh！“saidLeon。“Itiskindoftoughthefirstdayortwo，butyou’llsoongetoverit。Youshouldhavebehavedyourself，andgonewhentheystartedyoutwoyearsago。“

“ThinkIdon’tknowit？“

Leonstoppedandlookedatmesharply。

“I’llhelpyounights，ifyouwantmeto，“heoffered。

“CanIeverlearn？“Iasked，almostreadytocry。

“Ofcourseyoucan，“saidLeon。“You’resmartastheothers，I

suppose。Thesevensandninesofthemultiplicationtablearethestickers，butyououghttodothemifothergirlscan。Youneedn’tfeelbadbecauseyouarebehindalittletostarton；youarejustthatmuchbetterpreparedtowork，andyoucansoonovertakethem。Youknowalotnoneoftherestofusdo，andsomedayitwillcomeyourturntoshowoff。Cheerup，you’llbeallright。“

Menaresuchacomfort。Ipressedcloserformore。

“DoyousupposeIwill？“Iasked。

“Ofcourse，“saidLeon。“Anyminutethewoods，orbirds，orflowersarementionedyourtimewillcome；andallofuswillhearyoureadandhelpnights。I’djustassoonasnot。“

Thatwasthemostsurprisingthing。Heneverofferedtohelpmebefore。Heneveractedasifhecaredwhatbecameofme。MaybeitwasbecauseLaddiealwayshadtakensuchgoodcareofme，Leonhadnochance。Heseemedwillingenoughnow。Ilookedathimclosely。

“You’llfindoutI’lllearnthingsifItry，“Iboasted。“AndyouwillfindoutIdon’ttellsecretseither。“

“I’vebeenwaitingforyoutopipeupabout——“

“Well，Ihaven’tpiped，haveI？“

“Notyet。“

“Iamnotgoingtoeither。“

“Ialmostbelieveyou。Agirlyoucouldtrustwouldbeafunnythingtosee。“

“TellmewhatyouknowaboutLaddie，andseeifI’mfunny。“

“You’dtelltalesureaslife！“

“Well，ifyouknowit，heknowsitanyway。“

“Hedoesn’tknowWHATIknow。“

“Well，becarefulanddon’tworrymother。Youknowhowsheissincethefever，andfathersaysallofusmustthinkofher。Ifit’sanythingthatwouldbotherher，don’ttellbeforeher。“

“Say，lookyhere，“saidLeon，turningonmesharply，“isallthissuddenconsiderationformotherorareyouleggingforLaddie？“

“Forboth，“Iansweredstoutly。

“MostlyforLaddie，justthesame。Youcan’tfoolme，missy。I

won’ttellyouoneword。“

“Youneedn’t！“Ianswered，“Idon’tcare！“

“Yesyoudo，“hesaid。“You’dgiveanythingtofindoutwhatI

know，andthenruntoLaddiewithit，butyoucan’tfoolme。I’mtoosmartforyou。“

“Allright，“Isaid。“YougoandtellanythingonLaddie，andI’llwatchyou，andfirsttrickIcatchyouat，I’lldosometellingmyself，Smarty。“

“That’sagamemorethanonecanplayat，“saidLeon。“Goahead！“

CHAPTERV

TheFirstDayofSchool“Birdsintheirlittlenestsagree。

Andwhycan’twe？“

B-i-r-d-s，birds，i-n，in，t-h-e-i-r，their，l-i-t-t-l-e，little，n-e-s-t-s，nests，a-g-r-e-e，agree。“

Myfeetburnedinmynewshoes，butmostofmybodywaschillingasIstoodbesideMissAmeliaontheplatform，beforethewholeschool，andfollowedthepointofherpencil，while，aletteratatime，Ispelledaloudmyfirstsentence。Nothingeverhadhappenedtomeasbadasthat。Iwasnotusedtosomuchclothing。Itwasliketakingacoltfromthewoodspastureandputtingitintoharnessforthefirsttime。ThatlovelySeptembermorningIfollowedLeonandMaydownthedustyroad，myheartsickwithdread。

MaywassomuchsmallerthatIcouldhavepickedherupandcarriedher。Shewasagentle，lovinglittlething，untilsomeonewenttoofar，andthentheygotwhattheydeserved，allatonceandrightaway。

Manyofthepupilswerewaitingbeforethechurch。Leonclimbedthesteps，madeadeepbow，wavedtowardtheschoolbuildingacrosstheway，andwhatheintendedtosaywas，“Stillsitstheschoolhousebytheroad，“buthewasalittleexcitedandthes’sdoubledhistongue，sothatweheard：“Shillstitstheschoolhousebytheroad。“WejustyelledandIforgotalittleaboutmyself。

WhenMissAmeliacametothedoorandrangthebell，Maymusthaverememberedsomethingofhowherfirstdayfelt，foraswereachedthestepsshewaitedforme，tookmeinwithher，andfoundmeaseat。Ifshehadnot，I’mquitesureI’dhaverunawayandfoughtuntiltheyleftmeinfreedom，asIhadtwoyearsbefore。AllforenoonIhadshiveredinmyseat，whileclasseswerearranged，andtheelderpupilswerestartedontheirwork；

thenMissAmeliacalledmetoherontheplatformandtriedtofindouthowmuchschoolingIhad。IwasashamedthatIknewsolittle，buttherewasnosenseinhermakingmespellafterapencil，likeababy。I’dneverseenthebookshepickedup。I

couldreadthelineshepointedto，andItoldherso，butshesaidtospellthewords；soIthoughtshehadtobeobeyed，foronepoetrypieceIknowsays：

“QuicklyspeedyourstepstoschoolAndtheremindyourteacher’srule。“

IcanseeMissAmeliato-day。Herpalefacewaslineddeeperthanever，herdrabhairwasdraggedbacktighter。Sheworeablackcalicodresswithwhitehuckleberries，andawhitecalicoapronfiguredinlargeblackapples，eachhavingastemandtwoleaves。Indressshewasafruitfulperson。Shehadbeenasurprisetoallofus。Chipperasasparrow，shehadhopped，andchattered，anddartedhereandthere，untilthehourofopening。

Theninthestressofarrangingclassesandgettingstarted，allherbirdlikewaysslippedfromher。Sternandbonyshestoodbeforeus，andwithacoldlightinherpaleeyes，shebeganbusinessinamannerthatmadeJohnnyHoodforgetallabouthispaperwads，andLeoncommencedstudyinglikeagoodboy，andnevereventriedtohavefunwithher。Everyonewassosurprisedyoucouldnoticeit，exceptMay，andshelooked，“I

toldyouso！“evenintheback。ShehadawayofdoingthatverythingasIneversawanyoneelse。Fromthesetofherhead，howshecarriedhershoulders，thestiffnessofherspine，andhermannerofwalking，ifyouknewherwell，youcouldtellwhatshethought，thesameasifyousawherface。

Ifollowedthatpencilpointandinahuskyvoicerepeatedtheletters。IcouldseeTillieBaherlaughingatmefrombehindhergeography，andeveryoneelsehadstoppedwhattheyweredoingtowatchandlisten，soIforgottobethankfulthatIevenknewmyabc’s。Ispelledthroughthesentence，pronouncedthewordsandrepeatedthemwithoutmuchthoughtastothemeaning；atthatmomentitdidn’toccurtomethatshehadchosenthelessonbecausefatherhadtoldherhowImadefriendswiththebirds。

Thenightbeforehehadbeenputtingmethroughmemorytests，andIhadrecitedpoemafterpoem，evenlongonesintheSixthReader，andnevermadeonemistakewhenthepiecewasaboutbirds。Atourhouse，weheardnextday’slessonsforallagesgoneovereverynightsooften，thatwecouldn’thelpknowingthembyheart，ifwehadanybrainsatall，andIjustlovedtogetthebigfolk’sreadersandlearnthebirdpieces。Fatherhadbeentellingheraboutit，soforthatreasonshethoughtshewouldstartmeonthebirds，butI’msureshemademespellafterapencilpoint，likeababy，onpurposetoshameme，becauseI

wastwoyearsbehindtheotherswhowerenearmyage。AsI

repeatedthelineMissAmeliathoughtshesawherchance。Shesprangtoherfeet，trippedafewstepstowardthecentreoftheplatform，andcried：“Classes，attention！OurYoungestPupilhasjustcompletedherfirstsentence。ThissentencecontainsaThought。ItisawonderfullybeautifulThought。AThoughtthatsuggestsagreatmorallessonforeachofus。`Birrrds——intheirlittlenests——agreeee。’“

NeverhaveIheardcooingsweetnesstoequalthemeltingtonesinwhichMissAmeliadrawledthosewords。Thenshecontinued，afteragoodlongpauseinordertogiveustimetoallowthe“Thought“

tosinkin：“Thereisalessoninthisforallofus。Wearehereinourschoolroom，likelittlebirdsintheirnest。Nowhowcharmingitwouldbeifallofuswouldfollowtheexampleofthebirds，andatourwork，andinourplay，agreeee——bekind，loving，andconsiderateofeachother。Letusallrememberalwaysthiswonderfultruth：`Birrrrds——intheirlittlenests——

agreeeee！’“

InthreestepsIlaidholdofherapron。OnlylastnightLeonhadsaiditwouldcome，yetwhoeverwouldhavethoughtthatI’dgetachancelikethis，sosoon。

“Hobuttheydon’t！“Icried。“Theyfightlikeanything！Everydaytheymakethefeathersfly！“

InabackwardstrokeMissAmelia’sfingers，bigandbony，struckmycheekablowthatnearlyupsetme。Aredwavecrossedherface，andhereyessnapped。Ineverhadbeensosurprisedinallmylife。Iwasonlygoingtotellherthetruth。Whatshehadsaidwasaltogetherfalse。EversinceIcouldrememberIhadwatchedcourtingmalebirdsfightalloverthefarm。Afteracouplehadpaired，andwerenestbuilding，thefatheralwaysdroveeveryotherbirdfromhislocation。InbuildingIhadseenhimpeckedfortryingtoplaceatwig。Ihadseenthathappenagainformerelyofferingfoodtothemother，ifshedidn’thappentobehungry，orfortryingtomakelovetoherwhenshewasbrooding。Ifayoungbirdfailedtogetthebiteitwanted，itsometimesgrabbedoneofitsnestmatesbythebill，ortheeyeeven，andtriedtoswallowitwhole。Alwaystheoldestandstrongestclimbedontopoftheyoungestandfooledhismammyintofeedinghimmostbyhavinghisheadhighest，hismouthwidest，andbeggingloudest。Therecouldbenomistake。IwassoamazedIforgottheblow，asIstaredatthefoolwoman。

“Idon’tseewhyyouslapme！“Icried。“It’sthetruth！Lotsoftimesoldbirdspulloutbunchesoffeathersfighting，andyoungonesinthenestsbiteeachotheruntiltheysqueal。“