IV.

HOW SKY-HIGH CALLED THE GOVERNOR.


Cheerfully, in his fine blue linens, the little Chinese house-boy worked
in his cabin a portion of every day. The bluebirds came close to sing to
him and so did the red-breasted robins. Irish Nora and the parrot became
very civil, and he grew fond of Charlie and Lucy.

Some of the boys on their way to and from school made his only real
annoyance. Sometimes when his smoothing-iron was moving silently under
his loose-sleeved hand, or he was hanging the snowy clothes on the
lines, they would hide behind a tree or corner, and shy sticks at him
calling, "washee-washee-wang!" He bore it all in an unselfish temper,
until one day a big lump of dirt fell upon one of little Lucy's dainty
muslin frocks as he was ironing it. Then he said something that sounded
like, "cockle-cockle-cockle," and closed all the doors and windows.

At this crisis Charles and Lucy came to his side. They set wide again
the doors and windows of the cabin under the green boughs, and promised
him that they would forever be his true friends and protectors. "It is
time we began to treat him like a wang, as mother wished," said Lucy to
Charlie.

"The American boys throw dirt at me in the street," admitted little
Sky-High, in a reluctant tone--he did not like to bear witness against
anyone in this sunshiny world.