180 History of Gutta-Percha Willie,

 

 

Now Agnes was lying on the thin grass under
this clump of trees, looking up into their mys-
tery—and—what else do you think she was
doing ?/—She was sucking her thumb—her custom
always when she was thoughtful; and thoughtful
she seemed now, for the tears were in her eyes.

“What is the matter with my pet?” said Willie.

But instead of jumping up and flinging her arms
about him, she only looked at him, gave a little
sigh, drew her thumb from her mouth, pointed
with it up into the tree, and said, “TI can’t get up
there! I wish I was a bird,” and put her thumb
in her mouth again.

“ But if you were a bird, you wouldn’t be a girl,
you know, and you wouldn’t like that,” said Willie
—“at least J shouldn't like it.”

“Z shouldn’t mind. I would rather have wings
and fly about in the trees.”

“Tf you had wings you couldn’t have arms.”

“T’d rather have wings.”

“Tf you were a bird up there, you would be sure
to wish you were a girl down here. For if you
were a bird you couldn’t lie in the grass and look
up into the tree,”

“ Oh yes, I could.”

“What a comical little bird you would look
then—lying on your little round feathery back,
with wings spread out to keep you from rolling
‘over, and little sparkling eyes, one on each side of