FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  
oing to gather flowers for grandmamma--and we're not midges, uncle," said I, with a girl's protest. "Ah! what are you, then, little fluffy hair?" was his smiling reply, putting back my yellow curls from my forehead with his finger. "Two busy people that don't like to be idle." "Ah! well, go on, you make-believes; mind and be home by sundown, and don't lose yourselves." Thus he admonished us; then he went his way, and we ours. "Sundown is a long time, isn't it, Nell?" remarked Jemmy; "and we're not such sillies as to lose ourselves." "No; uncle doesn't know how wise we are," I answered; and then we travelled on all through the rich, ripe harvest-glory of cornfields. But the harvest folk seemed very far off; the silent fields lay basking in the sunshine, with the lengthening shadows stretching athwart them, some with the golden grain cut and ready for carting, some still standing awaiting the sickle. But no happy toilers were to be seen. Yes, we alighted upon one, a lad sitting manufacturing a whistle-pipe, and watching some sheep wandering in a field, where the wheat had been reaped and gleaned. "Where are the harvest folk?" questioned Jemmy, with dignity. "Harvest folk, young sir! That's a wide question, 'cause them's everywhere," replied the lad, with a grin. "I don't see them," was the reply. "I'm a harvest folk, and so is them--them's havin' their harvest," saying which the boy jerked his thumb in the direction of the sheep. "They're not folk, they are sheep," dissented Jemmy, with scorn. "Well, follow your noses, youngsters;' and you'll find some harvest folk, if ye go far enough." "He's a great rude boy, Nell, come away," quoth Jemmy to me, taking my hand, and boy-like leading me on. And as we went we met a mite of a boy of about Jemmy's age, with a small bundle of corn on his shoulder, like a miniature man. "Are you come from the harvest people?" asked Jemmy. "Yes," was the child's reply. "And where are they?" "I don't know; ever so far away. I'm carrying home mother's corn." With that the little man trudged on his way, and we went flitting here and there, I picking corn-flowers, and Jemmy looking for fat toads and shrews. And all the while our shadows standing by our sides warned us of what would befall us ere long. "I think," said I, presently, "that I'll sit down here by these sheaves awhile;" but ere we had bent our tired little limbs, out flew a beautiful bird from the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

harvest

 

shadows

 

standing

 
flowers
 

people

 

direction

 

replied

 

question

 
jerked
 

follow


youngsters

 
dissented
 

befall

 
presently
 

warned

 

shrews

 

beautiful

 
sheaves
 

awhile

 

picking


bundle

 
shoulder
 

leading

 

miniature

 

trudged

 

flitting

 
mother
 

carrying

 
taking
 

awaiting


remarked

 

Sundown

 

admonished

 

sillies

 
travelled
 
answered
 
sundown
 

fluffy

 

smiling

 

putting


protest

 

gather

 
grandmamma
 

midges

 

yellow

 

believes

 
forehead
 

finger

 

cornfields

 

manufacturing