burst open, and the "unfortunate waifs" under consideration raced across
the floor to the table where Miss Vilda and Samantha were seated. Gay's
sun-bonnet trailed behind her, every hair on her head curled separately,
and she held her rag-doll upside down with entire absence of decorum.
Timothy's paleness, whatever the cause, had disappeared for the moment,
and his eyes shone like stars.

"Oh, Miss Vilda!" he cried breathlessly; "dear Miss Vilda and Samanthy,
the gray hen did want to have chickens, and that is what made her so
cross, and she is setting, and we've found her nest in the alder bushes
by the pond!"

("G'ay hen's net in er buttes by er pond," sung Gay, like a Greek
chorus.)

"And we sat down softly beside the pond, but Gay sat into it."

("Gay sat wite into it, an' dolly dot her dess wet, but Gay nite ittle
dirl; Gay didn't det wet!")

"And by and by the gray hen got off to get a drink of water"--

("To det a dink o' water"--)

"And we counted the eggs, and there were thirteen big ones!"

("Fir-teen drate bid ones!")

"So that the darling thing had to s-w-ell out to cover them up!"