wentdownthehill，crossedthecreekonthestepping-stones，andfollowedthecowpathintothewoodspasture。Itranbesidethecreekbankthroughthespicethicketandblackberrypatches，underpawpawgroves，andbeneathgiantoaksandelms。Justwherethecreekturnedattheopenpasture，belowthechurchandcemetery，rightatthedeepbend，stoodthebiggestwhiteoakfatherowned。ItwasaboutatreeexactlylikethisthatanEnglishmanwroteabeautifulpoeminMcGuffey’sSixth，thatbegins：
　　“Asongtotheoak，thebraveoldoak，Whohathruledinthegreenwoodlong；
　　Here’shealthandrenowntohisbroadgreencrown，Andhisfiftyarmssostrong。“
　　Iknewitwasthesame，becauseIcountedthearmstimeandagain，andtherewereexactlyfifty。Therewasapawpawandspicehedgearoundthreesidesofthisone，andwaterontheother。Wildgrapesclimbedfromthebushestothelowerbranchesandtrailedbacktoearthagain。Here，IhadtwosecretsI
　　didn’tproposetotell。Onewasthatinthecrotchofsometiptopbranchesthebiggestchickenhawksyoueversawhadtheirnest，andiftheytooktoomanychickensfathersaidthey’dhavetobefrightenedalittlewithagun。Ican’tbegintotellhowIlovedthosehawks。TheydidtheonethingIwantedtomost，andnevercould。WhenIsawthemserenelysoarabovethelowestofthesoftfleecySeptemberclouds，Iwaswildwithenvy。I
　　wouldhavegonewithoutchickenmyselfratherthanhaveseenoneofthosesplendidbigbrownbirdsdroppedfromtheskies。Iwassocarefultoshieldthem，thatIselectedthisformyespecialretreatwhenIwantedmosttobealone，andIcarefullygatheredupanyoffalfromthenestthatmightpointouttheirlocation，andthrewitintothewaterwhereitrantheswiftest。
　　Ipartedthevinesandcreptwheretherootsofthebigoakstretchedlikebonyfingersoverthewater，thatwasslowlyeatingunderitandbaringitsroots。Isatonthemabovethewaterandthought。Ihaddecidedthedaybeforeaboutmygoingtoschool，andthedaybeforethat，andmany，manytimesbeforethat，andhereIwashavingtosettleitalloveragain。Doubledonthesakroots，atroubledlittlesoul，Isettleditoncemore。
　　Nobooksorteacherswereneededtotellmeaboutflowingwaterandfish，howhawksraisedtheirbroodsandkepthouse，aboutthesoftlycooingdovesofthespicethickets，thecuckoosslippingsnakelikeinandoutofthewildcrab-applebushes，orthebrownthrush’sweirdcallfromthethornbush。Iknewwhattheysaidanddid，buttheirnames，wheretheycamefrom，wheretheywentwhenthewindblewandthesnowfell——howwasIgoingtofindoutthat？Worseyetweretheflowers，butterflies，andmoths；theyweremysteriespastlearningalone，andwhilethenamesImadeupforthemwereprettyandsuitable，Iknewinallreasontheywouldn’tbethesameinthebooks。Ihadtogo，butnoonewilleverknowwhatitcost。Whenthesupperbellrang，Isatstill。
　　I’dhavetowaituntilatleasttwotableshadbeenserved，anyway，soIsatthereandnursedmymisery，lookedandlistened，andbyandbyIfeltbetter。Icouldn’tseeorhearathingthatwasstandingstill。Fathersaideventherocksgrewlargeryearbyyear。Thetreesweregettingbigger，thebirdswerebusy，andthecreekwasinadreadfulhurrytoreachtheriver。Itwaslikethatpoetrypiecethatsays：
　　“Whenaplayfulbrook，yougambolled，“
　　Mostlythatgambolledwordissaidaboutlambs
　　“Andthesunshineo’eryousmiled，Onyourbanksdidchildrenloiter，Lookingforthespringflowerswild？“
　　Thecreekwasmoreinearnestandworkingharderatpushingsteadilyaheadwithouteverstoppingthananythingelse；andlikethepoetrypieceagain，itreallydid“seemtosmileuponusasitquicklypassedusby。“Ihadtoquitplaying，andgotoworksometime；itmademesorrytothinkhowbehindIwas，becauseI
　　hadnotstartedtwoyearsbefore，whenIshould。Butthatcouldn’tbehelpednow。Alltherewasleftwastogothistime，forsure。Igotupheavilyandslowlyasanoldperson，andthenslippedoutandrandownthepathtothemeadow，becauseIcouldhearLeonwhistleashecametobringthecows。
　　ByfastrunningIcouldstartthemhomeforhim：Rose，Brindle，Bess，andPidy，SukeyandMuley；theyhadeatenallday，buttheystillsnatchedbitesastheywenttowardthegate。IwantedtosurpriseLeonandIdid。
　　“Gettinggood，ain’tyou？“heasked。“Whatdoyouwant？“
　　“Nothing！“Isaid。“IjustheardyoucomingandIthoughtI’dhelpyou。“
　　“Wherewereyou？“
　　“Playing。“
　　“Youdon’tlookasifyou’dbeenhavingmuchfun。“
　　“Idon’texpectevertohaveany，afterIbeginschool。“
　　“Oh！“saidLeon。“Itiskindoftoughthefirstdayortwo，butyou’llsoongetoverit。Youshouldhavebehavedyourself，andgonewhentheystartedyoutwoyearsago。“
　　“ThinkIdon’tknowit？“
　　Leonstoppedandlookedatmesharply。
　　“I’llhelpyounights，ifyouwantmeto，“heoffered。
　　“CanIeverlearn？“Iasked，almostreadytocry。
　　“Ofcourseyoucan，“saidLeon。“You’resmartastheothers，I
　　suppose。Thesevensandninesofthemultiplicationtablearethestickers，butyououghttodothemifothergirlscan。Youneedn’tfeelbadbecauseyouarebehindalittletostarton；youarejustthatmuchbetterpreparedtowork，andyoucansoonovertakethem。Youknowalotnoneoftherestofusdo，andsomedayitwillcomeyourturntoshowoff。Cheerup，you’llbeallright。“
　　Menaresuchacomfort。Ipressedcloserformore。
　　“DoyousupposeIwill？“Iasked。
　　“Ofcourse，“saidLeon。“Anyminutethewoods，orbirds，orflowersarementionedyourtimewillcome；andallofuswillhearyoureadandhelpnights。I’djustassoonasnot。“
　　Thatwasthemostsurprisingthing。Heneverofferedtohelpmebefore。Heneveractedasifhecaredwhatbecameofme。MaybeitwasbecauseLaddiealwayshadtakensuchgoodcareofme，Leonhadnochance。Heseemedwillingenoughnow。Ilookedathimclosely。
　　“You’llfindoutI’lllearnthingsifItry，“Iboasted。“AndyouwillfindoutIdon’ttellsecretseither。“
　　“I’vebeenwaitingforyoutopipeupabout——“
　　“Well，Ihaven’tpiped，haveI？“
　　“Notyet。“
　　“Iamnotgoingtoeither。“
　　“Ialmostbelieveyou。Agirlyoucouldtrustwouldbeafunnythingtosee。“
　　“TellmewhatyouknowaboutLaddie，andseeifI’mfunny。“
　　“You’dtelltalesureaslife！“
　　“Well，ifyouknowit，heknowsitanyway。“
　　“Hedoesn’tknowWHATIknow。“
　　“Well，becarefulanddon’tworrymother。Youknowhowsheissincethefever，andfathersaysallofusmustthinkofher。Ifit’sanythingthatwouldbotherher，don’ttellbeforeher。“
　　“Say，lookyhere，“saidLeon，turningonmesharply，“isallthissuddenconsiderationformotherorareyouleggingforLaddie？“
　　“Forboth，“Iansweredstoutly。
　　“MostlyforLaddie，justthesame。Youcan’tfoolme，missy。I
　　won’ttellyouoneword。“
　　“Youneedn’t！“Ianswered，“Idon’tcare！“
　　“Yesyoudo，“hesaid。“You’dgiveanythingtofindoutwhatI
　　know，andthenruntoLaddiewithit，butyoucan’tfoolme。I’mtoosmartforyou。“
　　“Allright，“Isaid。“YougoandtellanythingonLaddie，andI’llwatchyou，andfirsttrickIcatchyouat，I’lldosometellingmyself，Smarty。“
　　“That’sagamemorethanonecanplayat，“saidLeon。“Goahead！“
　　CHAPTERV
　　TheFirstDayofSchool“Birdsintheirlittlenestsagree。
　　Andwhycan’twe？“
　　B-i-r-d-s，birds，i-n，in，t-h-e-i-r，their，l-i-t-t-l-e，little，n-e-s-t-s，nests，a-g-r-e-e，agree。“
　　Myfeetburnedinmynewshoes，butmostofmybodywaschillingasIstoodbesideMissAmeliaontheplatform，beforethewholeschool，andfollowedthepointofherpencil，while，aletteratatime，Ispelledaloudmyfirstsentence。Nothingeverhadhappenedtomeasbadasthat。Iwasnotusedtosomuchclothing。Itwasliketakingacoltfromthewoodspastureandputtingitintoharnessforthefirsttime。ThatlovelySeptembermorningIfollowedLeonandMaydownthedustyroad，myheartsickwithdread。
　　MaywassomuchsmallerthatIcouldhavepickedherupandcarriedher。Shewasagentle，lovinglittlething，untilsomeonewenttoofar，andthentheygotwhattheydeserved，allatonceandrightaway。
　　Manyofthepupilswerewaitingbeforethechurch。Leonclimbedthesteps，madeadeepbow，wavedtowardtheschoolbuildingacrosstheway，andwhatheintendedtosaywas，“Stillsitstheschoolhousebytheroad，“buthewasalittleexcitedandthes’sdoubledhistongue，sothatweheard：“Shillstitstheschoolhousebytheroad。“WejustyelledandIforgotalittleaboutmyself。
　　WhenMissAmeliacametothedoorandrangthebell，Maymusthaverememberedsomethingofhowherfirstdayfelt，foraswereachedthestepsshewaitedforme，tookmeinwithher，andfoundmeaseat。Ifshehadnot，I’mquitesureI’dhaverunawayandfoughtuntiltheyleftmeinfreedom，asIhadtwoyearsbefore。AllforenoonIhadshiveredinmyseat，whileclasseswerearranged，andtheelderpupilswerestartedontheirwork；
　　thenMissAmeliacalledmetoherontheplatformandtriedtofindouthowmuchschoolingIhad。IwasashamedthatIknewsolittle，buttherewasnosenseinhermakingmespellafterapencil，likeababy。I’dneverseenthebookshepickedup。I
　　couldreadthelineshepointedto，andItoldherso，butshesaidtospellthewords；soIthoughtshehadtobeobeyed，foronepoetrypieceIknowsays：
　　“QuicklyspeedyourstepstoschoolAndtheremindyourteacher’srule。“
　　IcanseeMissAmeliato-day。Herpalefacewaslineddeeperthanever，herdrabhairwasdraggedbacktighter。Sheworeablackcalicodresswithwhitehuckleberries，andawhitecalicoapronfiguredinlargeblackapples，eachhavingastemandtwoleaves。Indressshewasafruitfulperson。Shehadbeenasurprisetoallofus。Chipperasasparrow，shehadhopped，andchattered，anddartedhereandthere，untilthehourofopening。
　　Theninthestressofarrangingclassesandgettingstarted，allherbirdlikewaysslippedfromher。Sternandbonyshestoodbeforeus，andwithacoldlightinherpaleeyes，shebeganbusinessinamannerthatmadeJohnnyHoodforgetallabouthispaperwads，andLeoncommencedstudyinglikeagoodboy，andnevereventriedtohavefunwithher。Everyonewassosurprisedyoucouldnoticeit，exceptMay，andshelooked，“I
　　toldyouso！“evenintheback。ShehadawayofdoingthatverythingasIneversawanyoneelse。Fromthesetofherhead，howshecarriedhershoulders，thestiffnessofherspine，andhermannerofwalking，ifyouknewherwell，youcouldtellwhatshethought，thesameasifyousawherface。
　　Ifollowedthatpencilpointandinahuskyvoicerepeatedtheletters。IcouldseeTillieBaherlaughingatmefrombehindhergeography，andeveryoneelsehadstoppedwhattheyweredoingtowatchandlisten，soIforgottobethankfulthatIevenknewmyabc’s。Ispelledthroughthesentence，pronouncedthewordsandrepeatedthemwithoutmuchthoughtastothemeaning；atthatmomentitdidn’toccurtomethatshehadchosenthelessonbecausefatherhadtoldherhowImadefriendswiththebirds。
　　Thenightbeforehehadbeenputtingmethroughmemorytests，andIhadrecitedpoemafterpoem，evenlongonesintheSixthReader，andnevermadeonemistakewhenthepiecewasaboutbirds。Atourhouse，weheardnextday’slessonsforallagesgoneovereverynightsooften，thatwecouldn’thelpknowingthembyheart，ifwehadanybrainsatall，andIjustlovedtogetthebigfolk’sreadersandlearnthebirdpieces。Fatherhadbeentellingheraboutit，soforthatreasonshethoughtshewouldstartmeonthebirds，butI’msureshemademespellafterapencilpoint，likeababy，onpurposetoshameme，becauseI
　　wastwoyearsbehindtheotherswhowerenearmyage。AsI
　　repeatedthelineMissAmeliathoughtshesawherchance。Shesprangtoherfeet，trippedafewstepstowardthecentreoftheplatform，andcried：“Classes，attention！OurYoungestPupilhasjustcompletedherfirstsentence。ThissentencecontainsaThought。ItisawonderfullybeautifulThought。AThoughtthatsuggestsagreatmorallessonforeachofus。`Birrrds——intheirlittlenests——agreeee。’“
　　NeverhaveIheardcooingsweetnesstoequalthemeltingtonesinwhichMissAmeliadrawledthosewords。Thenshecontinued，afteragoodlongpauseinordertogiveustimetoallowthe“Thought“
　　tosinkin：“Thereisalessoninthisforallofus。Wearehereinourschoolroom，likelittlebirdsintheirnest。Nowhowcharmingitwouldbeifallofuswouldfollowtheexampleofthebirds，andatourwork，andinourplay，agreeee——bekind，loving，andconsiderateofeachother。Letusallrememberalwaysthiswonderfultruth：`Birrrrds——intheirlittlenests——
　　agreeeee！’“
　　InthreestepsIlaidholdofherapron。OnlylastnightLeonhadsaiditwouldcome，yetwhoeverwouldhavethoughtthatI’dgetachancelikethis，sosoon。
　　“Hobuttheydon’t！“Icried。“Theyfightlikeanything！Everydaytheymakethefeathersfly！“
　　InabackwardstrokeMissAmelia’sfingers，bigandbony，struckmycheekablowthatnearlyupsetme。Aredwavecrossedherface，andhereyessnapped。Ineverhadbeensosurprisedinallmylife。Iwasonlygoingtotellherthetruth。Whatshehadsaidwasaltogetherfalse。EversinceIcouldrememberIhadwatchedcourtingmalebirdsfightalloverthefarm。Afteracouplehadpaired，andwerenestbuilding，thefatheralwaysdroveeveryotherbirdfromhislocation。InbuildingIhadseenhimpeckedfortryingtoplaceatwig。Ihadseenthathappenagainformerelyofferingfoodtothemother，ifshedidn’thappentobehungry，orfortryingtomakelovetoherwhenshewasbrooding。Ifayoungbirdfailedtogetthebiteitwanted，itsometimesgrabbedoneofitsnestmatesbythebill，ortheeyeeven，andtriedtoswallowitwhole。Alwaystheoldestandstrongestclimbedontopoftheyoungestandfooledhismammyintofeedinghimmostbyhavinghisheadhighest，hismouthwidest，andbeggingloudest。Therecouldbenomistake。IwassoamazedIforgottheblow，asIstaredatthefoolwoman。
　　“Idon’tseewhyyouslapme！“Icried。“It’sthetruth！Lotsoftimesoldbirdspulloutbunchesoffeathersfighting，andyoungonesinthenestsbiteeachotheruntiltheysqueal。“