"Little drops of water, Little drains of sand, Mate a might okum (ocean), And a peasant land. "Little words of kindness, Pokin evvy day, Make a home a hebbin, And hep us on a way."
Clapping his hands at the end, he made another double salutation, andthen ran to hide his head in his mother's lap, quite overcome by thesuccess of his "piece," for the applause was tremendous.
Dick and Dolly did not write, but were encouraged to observe the habitsof animals and insects, and report what they saw. Dick liked this, andalways had a great deal to say; so, when his name was called, he marchedup, and, looking at the audience with his bright confiding eyes, toldhis little story so earnestly that no one smiled at his crooked body,because the "straight soul" shone through it beautifully.
"I've been watching dragonflies, and I read about them in Dan's book,and I'll try and tell you what I remember. There's lots of them flyinground on the pond, all blue, with big eyes, and sort of lace wings,very pretty. I caught one, and looked at him, and I think he was thehandsomest insect I ever saw. They catch littler creatures than theyare to eat, and have a queer kind of hook thing that folds up when theyain't hunting. It likes the sunshine, and dances round all day. Let mesee! what else was there to tell about? Oh, I know! The eggs are laid inthe water, and go down to the bottom, and are hatched in the mud. Littleugly things come out of 'em; I can't say the name, but they are brown,and keep having new skins, and getting bigger and bigger. Only think! ittakes them two years to be a dragonfly! Now this is the curiousest partof it, so you listen tight, for I don't believe you know it. When it isready it knows somehow, and the ugly, grubby thing climbs up out of thewater on a flag or a bulrush, and bursts open its back."
"Come, I don't believe that," said Tommy, who was not an observant boy,and really thought Dick was "making up."
"It does burst open its back, don't it?" and Dick appealed to Mr. Bhaer,who nodded a very decided affirmative, to the little speaker's greatsatisfaction.
"Well, out comes the dragonfly, all whole, and he sits in the sun sortof coming alive, you know; and he gets strong, and then he spreads hispretty wings, and flies away up in the air, and never is a grub anymore. That's all I know; but I shall watch and try to see him do it, forI think it's splendid to turn into a beautiful dragonfly, don't you?"
Dick had told his story well, and, when he described the flight of thenew-born insect, had waved his hands, and looked up as if he saw, andwanted to follow it. Something in his face suggested to the minds ofthe elder listeners the thought that some day little Dick would have hiswish, and after years of helplessness and pain would climb up into thesun some happy day, and, leaving his poor little body behind him, finda new lovely shape in a fairer world than this. Mrs. Jo drew him to herside, and said, with a kiss on his thin cheek,
"That is a sweet little story, dear, and you remembered it wonderfullywell. I shall write and tell your mother all about it;" and Dick saton her knee, contentedly smiling at the praise, and resolving to watchwell, and catch the dragonfly in the act of leaving its old body forthe new, and see how he did it. Dolly had a few remarks to make uponthe "Duck," and made them in a sing-song tone, for he had learned it byheart, and thought it a great plague to do it at all.
"Wild ducks are hard to kill; men hide and shoot at them, and have tameducks to quack and make the wild ones come where the men can fire atthem. They have wooden ducks made too, and they sail round, and thewild ones come to see them; they are stupid, I think. Our ducks are verytame. They eat a great deal, and go poking round in the mud and water.They don't take good care of their eggs, but them spoil, and--"
"Mine don't!" cried Tommy.
"Well, some people's do; Silas said so. Hens take good care of littleducks, only they don't like to have them go in the water, and make agreat fuss. But the little ones don't care a bit. I like to eat duckswith stuffing in them and lots of apple-sauce."
"I have something to say about owls," began Nat, who had carefullyprepared a paper upon this subject with some help from Dan.
"Owls have big heads, round eyes, hooked bills, and strong claws. Someare gray, some white, some black and yellowish. Their feathers are verysoft, and stick out a great deal. They fly very quietly, and hunt bats,mice, little birds, and such things. They build nests in barns, hollowtrees, and some take the nests of other birds. The great horned owl hastwo eggs bigger than a hen's and reddish brown. The tawny owl hasfive eggs, white and smooth; and this is the kind that hoots at night.Another kind sounds like a child crying. They eat mice and bats whole,and the parts that they cannot digest they make into little balls andspit out."
"My gracious! how funny!" Nan was heard to observe.
"They cannot see by day; and if they get out into the light, they goflapping round half blind, and the other birds chase and peck at them,as if they were making fun. The horned owl is very big, 'most as big asthe eagle. It eats rabbits, rats, snakes, and birds; and lives in rocksand old tumble-down houses. They have a good many cries, and scream likea person being choked, and say, 'Waugh O! waugh O!' and it scares peopleat night in the woods. The white owl lives by the sea, and in coldplaces, and looks something like a hawk. There is a kind of owl thatmakes holes to live in like moles. It is called the burrowing owl, andis very small. The barn-owl is the commonest kind; and I have watchedone sitting in a hole in a tree, looking like a little gray cat, withone eye shut and the other open. He comes out at dusk, and sits roundwaiting for the bats. I caught one, and here he is."
With that Nat suddenly produced from inside his jacket a little downybird, who blinked and ruffled his feathers, looking very plump andsleepy and scared.
"Don't touch him! He is going to show off," said Nat, displaying his newpet with great pride. First he put a cocked hat on the bird's head,and the boys laughed at the funny effect; then he added a pair of paperspectacles, and that gave the owl such
a wise look that they shoutedwith merriment. The performance closed with making the bird angry, andseeing him cling to a handkerchief upside down, pecking and "clucking,"as Rob called it. He was allowed to fly after that, and settled himselfon the bunch of pine-cones over the door, where he sat staring down atthe company with an air of sleepy dignity that amused them very much.
"Have you anything for us, George?" asked Mr. Bhaer, when the room wasstill again.
"Well, I read and learned ever so much about moles, but I declare I'veforgotten every bit of it, except that they dig holes to live in, thatyou catch them by pouring water down, and that they can't possibly livewithout eating very often;" and Stuffy sat down, wishing he had not beentoo lazy to write out his valuable observations, for a general smilewent round when he mentioned the last of the three facts which lingeredin his memory.
"Then we are done for to-day," began Mr. Bhaer, but Tommy called out ina great hurry,
"No we ain't. Don't you know? We must give the thing;" and he winkedviolently as he made an eye-glass of his fingers.
"Bless my heart, I forgot! Now is your time, Tom;" and Mr. Bhaer droppedinto his seat again, while all the boys but Dan looked mightily tickledat something.
Nat, Tommy, and Demi left the room, and speedily returned with a littlered morocco box set forth in state on Mrs. Jo's best silver salver.Tommy bore it, and, still escorted by Nat and Demi, marched up tounsuspecting Dan, who stared at them as if he thought they were going tomake fun of him. Tommy had prepared an elegant and impressive speech forthe occasion, but when the minute came, it all went out of his head, andhe just said, straight from his kindly boyish heart,
"Here, old fellow, we all wanted to give you something to kind of payfor what happened awhile ago, and to show how much we liked you forbeing such a trump. Please take it, and have a jolly good time with it."
Dan was so surprised he could only get as red as the little box, andmutter, "Thanky, boys!" as he fumbled to open it. But when he sawwhat was inside, his face lighted up, and he seized the long desiredtreasure, saying so enthusiastically that every one was satisfied,though is language was anything but polished,
"What a stunner! I say, you fellows are regular bricks to give me this;it's just what I wanted. Give us your paw, Tommy."
Many paws were given, and heartily shaken, for the boys were charmedwith Dan's pleasure, and crowded round him to shake hands and expatiateon the beauties of their gift. In the midst of this pleasant chatter,Dan's eye went to Mrs. Jo, who stood outside the group enjoying thescene with all her heart.
"No, I had nothing to do with it. The boys got it up all themselves,"she said, answering the grateful look that seemed to thank her forthat happy moment. Dan smiled, and said, in a tone that only she couldunderstand,
"It's you all the same;" and making his way through the boys, he heldout his hand first to her and then to the good Professor, who wasbeaming benevolently on his flock.
He thanked them both with the silent, hearty squeeze he gave the kindhands that had held him up, and led him into the safe refuge of a happyhome. Not a word was spoken, but they felt all he would say, and littleTeddy expressed his pleasure for them as he leaned from his father's armto hug the boy, and say, in his baby way,
"My dood Danny! everybody loves him now."
"Come here, show off your spy-glass, Dan, and let us see some of yourmagnified pollywogs and annymalcumisms as you call 'em," said Jack, whofelt so uncomfortable during this scene that he would have slipped awayif Emil had not kept him.
"So I will, take a squint at that and see what you think of it," saidDan, glad to show off his precious microscope.
He held it over a beetle that happened to be lying on the table, andJack bent down to take his squint, but looked up with an amazed face,saying,
"My eye! what nippers the old thing has got! I see now why it hurts soconfoundedly when you grab a dorbug and he grabs back again."
"He winked at me," cried Nan, who had poked her head under Jack's elbowand got the second peep.
Every one took a look, and then Dan showed them the lovely plumage on amoth's wing, the four feathery corners to a hair, the veins on a leaf,hardly visible to the naked eye, but like a thick net through thewonderful little glass; the skin on their own fingers, looking likequeer hills and valleys; a cobweb like a bit of coarse sewing silk, andthe sting of a bee.
"It's like the fairy spectacles in my story-book, only more curious,"said Demi, enchanted with the wonders he saw.
"Dan is a magician now, and he can show you many miracles going on allround you; for he has two things needful patience and a love of nature.We live in a beautiful and wonderful world, Demi, and the more you knowabout it the wiser and the better you will be. This little glass willgive you a new set of teachers, and you may learn fine lessons from themif you will," said Mr. Bhaer, glad to see how interested the boys werein the matter.
"Could I see anybody's soul with this microscope if I looked hard?"asked Demi, who was much impressed with the power of the bit of glass.
"No, dear; it's not powerful enough for that, and never can be made so.You must wait a long while before your eyes are clear enough to see themost invisible of God's wonders. But looking at the lovely things youcan see will help you to understand the lovelier things you can notsee," answered Uncle Fritz, with his hand on the boy's head.
"Well, Daisy and I both think that if there are any angels, their wingslook like that butterfly's as we see it through the glass, only moresoft and gold."
"Believe it if you like, and keep your own little wings as bright andbeautiful, only don't fly away for a long time yet."
"No, I won't," and Demi kept his word.
"Good-by, my boys; I must go now, but I leave you with our new Professorof Natural History;" and Mrs. Jo went away well pleased with thatcomposition day.