“Onlytwelve，“Isaid。
　　Helookeddowntheroadatourhouse。
　　“Doyoumeantotellmeyouhavetwelvechildrenthere？“heinquired。
　　“Ohno！“Ianswered。“Someofthebigboyshavegoneintobusinessinthecitiesaround，andsomeofthegirlsaremarried。
　　Mothersaysshehasonlytoshowhergirlsinthecitiestohavethemsnappeduplikehotcakes。“
　　“Ifancythatisthetruth，“hesaid。“I’vepassedtheonewhoridesthelittleblackponyandsheisapicture。Afine，healthy，sensible-appearingyoungwoman！“
　　“Idon’tthinkshe’sasprettyasyourgirl，“Isaid。
　　“PerhapsIdon’teither，“hereplied，smilingatme。
　　Thenhemountedhishorse。
　　“Idon’trememberthatIeverhavepassedthathouse，“hesaid，“withouthearingsomeonesinging。Doesitgoonallthetime？“
　　“Yes，unlessmotherissick。“
　　“Andwhatisitallabout？“
　　“Ohjustjoy！Gladnessthatwearealive，thatwehavethingstodothatwelike，andpraisingtheLord。“
　　“Umph！“saidMr。Pryor。
　　“It’sjustlettingoutwhatourheartsarefullof，“Itoldhim。
　　“Don’tyouknowthatsong：
　　“`TistheoldtimereligionAndyoucannotkeepitstill？’“
　　Heshookhishead。
　　“It’sanawfulnicesong，“Iexplained。“Afteritsingsaboutalltheotherthingsreligionisgoodfor，thereisonelinethatsays：`IT’SGOODFORTHOSEINTROUBLE。’“
　　Ilookedathimstraightandhard，butheonlyturnedwhiteandseemedsick。
　　“So？“saidMr。Pryor。“Well，thankyouforthemostinterestingmorningI’vehadthissideEngland。Ishouldbedelightedifyouwouldcomeandhuntlionsinmywoodswithmesometime。“
　　“Oh，doyouopenthedoortochildren？“
　　“Certainlyweopenthedoortochildren，“hesaid，andasIlive，helookedsosadIcouldn’thelpthinkinghewassorrytocloseitagainstanyone。Amysteryisthedreadfulestthing。
　　“Thenifchildrendon’tmatter，maybeIcancomelion-huntingsometimewiththePrincess，aftershehasmadethevisitatourhouseshesaidshewould。“
　　“Indeed！Ihadn’tbeeninformedthatmydaughtercontemplatedvisitingyourhouse，“hesaid。“Whenwasitarranged？“
　　“MymotherinvitedherlastSunday。“
　　Ididn’tlikethewayhesaid：“O-o-o-h！“Somewayitseemedinsultingtomymother。
　　“Shedidittopleaseme，“Isaid。“TherewasaFairyPrincesstoldmetheotherdaythatyourgirlfeltlikeastranger，andthattobeastrangerwasthehardestthinginalltheworld。
　　Shesatalittlewayfromtheothers，andshelookedsolonely。
　　Ipulledmymother’ssleeveandledhertoyourgirlandmadethemshakehands，andthenmotherHADtoaskhertocometodinnerwithus。Shealwaysinviteseveryoneshemeetscomingdowntheaisle；shecouldn’thelpaskingyourgirl，too。Shesaidshewasexpectedathome，butshe’dcomesomedayandgetacquainted。Sheneedn’tifyouobject。Mymotheronlyaskedherbecauseshethoughtshewaslonely，andmaybeshewantedtocome。“
　　Hesattherestaringstraightaheadandheseemedtogrowwhiter，andolder，andcoldereveryminute。
　　“Possiblysheislonely，“hesaidatlast。“Thisisn’tmuchlikethelifesheleft。Perhapsshedoesfeelherselfastranger。Itwasverykindofyourmothertoinviteher。Ifshewantstocome，Ishallmakenoobjections。“
　　“No，butmyfatherwill，“Isaid。
　　Hestraightenedupasifsomethinghadhithim。
　　“Whywillheobject？“
　　“OnaccountofwhatyousaidaboutGodatourhouse，“Itoldhim。
　　“Andthen，too，father’speoplewerefromEngland，andhesaysrealEnglishmenhavetheirdoorswideopen，andwelcomepeoplewhoofferfriendliness。“
　　Mr。Pryorhithishorseanawfulblow。ItrearedandwentracinguptheroaduntilIthoughtitwasrunningaway。IcouldseeI
　　hadmadehimangryenoughtoburst。Motheralwaystellsmenottorepeatthings；butI’mnotsmartenoughtoknowwhattosay，soIdon’tseewhatisleftbuttotellwhatmother，orfather，orLaddiesayswhengrownpeopleaskmequestions。
　　Iwenthome，buteveryonewastoobusyeventolookatme，soI
　　tookBobbyundermyarm，huntedfather，andtoldhimallaboutthemorning。Iwonderedwhathewouldthink。Ineverfoundout。
　　Hewouldn’tsayanything，soBobbyandIwentacrossthelane，andclimbedthegateintotheorchardtoseeifHezekiahwerethereandwantedtofight。Hehadn’ttimetofightBobbybecausehewasbusychasingeverywildjayfromourorchard。Bythetimehegotthatdone，hewastired，sohecamehoppingalongonbranchesaboveusasBobbyandIwentdownthewestfencebesidethelane。
　　IfIhadbeencompelledtochoosethesideofourorchardIlikedbest，Idon’tknowwhichIwouldhaveselected。Thewestside——
　　thatis，theonebehindthedooryard——wasrunningoverwithinterestingthings。Twogatesopenedintoit，onefromneareachcorneroftheyard。Betweenthesetherewasquiteawidelevelspace，wheremotherfedthebigchickensandkeptthehensincoopswithlittleones。Shehadtohavethemcloseenoughthatthebighawkswereafraidtocometoearth，ortheywouldtakemorechickensthantheycouldpayfor，bycleaningrabbits，snakes，andmicefromthefields。Thencameadoublerowofprizepeachtrees；rarefruitthatmothercannedtotaketocountyfairs。Oneborebig，whitefreestones，andaroundtheseedtheywerepinkasarose。Onewasawhitecling，andonewasyellow。Therewasayellowfreestoneasbigasayoungsun，andasgolden，andthequeerestofallwasaclingpurpleasabeet。
　　Sometimesfatherreadaboutthehairsoftheheadbeingnumbered，becauseweweresopreciousinthesightoftheAlmighty。Motherwasjustasparticularwithherpurpletree；everypeachonitwascounted，andifwefoundoneontheground，wehadtocarryittoher，becauseitMIGHTbesoundenoughtocanorspiceforafair，orshehadpromisedtheseedtosomeonehalfwayacrossthestate。Ateachendofthepeachrowwasanenormousbigpeartree；notfarfromonethechickenhousestoodonthepathtothebarn，andbesidetheotherthesmokehousewiththedogkennelayardaway。Fathersaidtherewasadistinctrelationshipbetweenasmokehouseandadogkennel，andbulldogswerebest。Justatpresentwewereoutofbulldogs，butJones，JenkinsandCo。couldmakeasmuchnoiseasanydogyoueverheard。Ontheleftgrewtheplumtreesallthewaytothesouthfence，andIthinktherewasoneofeverykindinthefruitcatalogues。Fatherspenthourspruning，grafting，andfertilizingthem。Hesaidtheyrequiredtwiceasmuchworkaspeaches。
　　Aroundtheothersidesoftheorchardweretworowsofpeachtreesofeveryvariety；butoneclingonthenorthwasjustalittlethebestofany，andwemighteatallwewantedfromanytreeweliked，afterfathertestedthemandsaid：“Peachesareripe！“Inthemiddleweretheapple；selectedtrees，planted，trimmed，andcultivatedlikehumanbeings。Theapplesweresobigandfinetheywerepickedbyhand，wrappedinpaper，packedinbarrels，andallwecouldnotuseathomewenttoJ。B。WhiteinFortWayneforthebiggestfruithouseinthestate。My！butfatherwasproud！HealwayspackedespeciallyfineonesforMr。
　　White’sfamily。Hesaidhelikedhim，becausehewasarealsandyScotchman，whoknewwhenanapplewasright，andwasn’tafraidtosayso。
　　OnthesouthsideoftheorchardtherewastheearliestJuneappletree。Theapplesweresmall，brightredwithyellowstripes，crisp，juicyandsweetenoughtobejustright。Thetreewasverylarge，andsoheavyitleanedfartothenortheast。
　　Thissoundslikemake-believe，butit’sgospeltruth。Almosttwofeetfromthegroundtherewasabigroundgrowth，thesizeofahashbowl。Thetreemusthavebeenhurtwhenverysmallandtheplaceenlargedwiththetrunk。Nowitmadeagrandstep。Ifyouunderstoodthatnoonecouldkeepfromrunningthelastfewrodsfromthetree，thenfiguredonthehelptobehadfromthisstep，youcouldseehowwewentupitlikesquirrels。Allthebarkonthesouthsidewaswornawayandthetrunkwassmoothandshiny。
　　Thebirdslovedtonestamongthebranches，andunderthepeachtreeinthefencecorneroppositewasabigbedofmymother’sfavouritewildflowers，blue-eyedMarys。Theyhaddaintystemsfromsixtoeightincheshighanddelicateheadsofbloommadeupoflittleflowers，twopetalsup，blue，twoturningdown，white。
　　Perhapsyoudon’tknowaboutanythingprettierthanthat。Thereweremaiden-hairfernsamongthemtoo！andthebiggestlichensyoueversawonthefence，whileinthehollowofarottenrailalittlechippybirdalwaysbuiltahairnest。Shegotthehairsatourbarn，formostofthemweregrayfromourcarriagehorses，NedandJo。Alldownthatsideoftheorchardthefencecornerswerefilledwithlonggrassandwildflowers，afewalderbusheslefttofurnishberriesforthebirds，andwildrosesforus，tokeeptheirbeautyimpressedonus，fathersaid。
　　Theeastendranalongthebrowofahillsosteepwecoasteddownitonthebigmeatboardallwinter。Theboardwassixinchesthick，twoandahalffeetwide，andsixlong。Fathersaidslippingovericeandsnowgaveitthegoodscouringitneeded，anditwasthickenoughtolastallourlives，sowemightplaywithitaswepleased。Atleastsevenofuscouldgoskimmingdownthathillandhalfwayacrossthemeadowonit。Intheveryplaceweslidacross，insummerlaythecowslipbed。
　　Theworldisfullofbeautifulspots，butIdoubtifanyofthemeverwereprettierthanthat。Fathercalleditswale。Wedidn’tsinkdeep，butallsummertherewaswaterstandingthere。Thegrasswaslongandverysweet，therewerefernsandafewcalamusflowers，andtheremusthavebeenanacreofcowslips——cowslipswithbig-veined，heartshaped，greenleaves，andlargepalegoldflowers。Iusedtositonthetoprailofthatorchardfenceandlookdownatthem，andtrytofigureoutwhatGodwasthinkingwhenHecreatedthem，andIwishedthatImighthavebeenwhereI
　　couldwatchHisfaceasHeworked。
　　HalfwayacrosstheeastsidewasagullywhereLeonandIfoundtheUndergroundStation，andfromanyplacealongthenorthyoulooked，yousawtheLittleCreekandthemarsh。Atthesametimethecowslipsweremostgolden，themarshwasbluewithflags，pinkwithsmartweed，whiteandyellowwithdodder，yellowwithmarshbuttercupshavingraggedfrostyleaves，whiletheyellowandtheredbirdsflashedaboveit，theredcrying，“Chip，“
　　“Chip，“inshort，sharpnotes，theyellowspillingmusicalloverthemarshwhileonwing。
　　Itwouldtakeawholebooktodescribethebutterflies；onceinawhileyouscaredupabig，wonderfulmoth，largeasasparrow；
　　andtheorchardwasalivewithdoves，thrushes，catbirds，bluebirds，vireos，andorioles。Whenyouclimbedthefence，oratree，andkeptquiet，andheardthemusicandstudiedthepictures，itmadeyoufeelasifyouhadtoputitintowords。I
　　oftenhadmeetingallbymyself，unlessBobbyandHezekiahwerealong，andItriedtotellGodwhatIthoughtaboutthings。
　　ProbablyHewassobusymakingmorebirdsandflowersforotherworlds，Heneverheardme；butIdidn’tsayanythingdisrespectfulatall，soitmadenodifferenceifHedidlisten。
　　ItjustseemedasifImusttellwhatIthought，andIfeltbetter，notsofullandrestlessafterIhadfinished。
　　Allofuswerealikeaboutthat。AtthatminuteIknewmotherwashumming，asshedidadozentimesaday：
　　“IthinkwhenIreadthatsweetstoryofold，WhenJesuswashereamongmenHowHecalledlittlechildrenaslambstoHisfold，IshouldliketohavebeenwithHimthen。“
　　Lucywouldberockingherbabyandsinging，“Hush，mydear，liestillandslumber。“Candace’sfavouriteshemadeupabouthermanwhohadbeenkilledinthewar，whentheyhadbeenmarriedonlysixweeks，whichhadn’tgivenhertimetogrowtiredofhimifhehadn’tbeen“allherfancypainted。“Shearrangedthewordslike“BenBattlewasasoldierbold，“andshesangthemtosuitherself，andcriedeverysingleminute：
　　“Theywrappedhiminhisuniform，Theylaidhiminthetomb，MyachingheartIthought’twouldbreak，Butsuchwasmysaddoom。“
　　Candacejustlovedthatsong。Shesangitallthetime。Leonsaidourpiealwaystastedsaltyfromhertears，andhe’dtakeabiteandsmileathersweetlyandsay：“HowUNIFORMyougetyourpie，Candace！“
　　May’sfavouritewas“JoyBells。“Fatherwouldbewhisperingovertohimselfthespeechhewaspreparingtomakeatthenextprayer-meeting。Wenevercouldlearnhisspeeches，becausehereadandstudiedsomuchitkepthisheadsofull，hemadeanewoneeverytime。YoucouldhearLaddie’sdeepbassboomingthe“BedouinLoveSong“foramile；thisminuteitcamerollingacrossthecorn：
　　“Openthedoorofthyheart，Andopenthychamberdoor，AndmykissesshallteachthylipsThelovethatshallfadenomoreTillthesungrowscold，AndtheStarsareold，AndtheleavesoftheJudgmentBookunfold！“
　　Idon’tknowhowthePrincessstoodit。IfhehadbeensingingthatsongwhereIcouldhearitandIhadknownitwasaboutme，asshemusthaveknownhemeanther，Icouldn’thavekeptmyarmsfromaroundhisneck。OverinthebarnLeonwassinging：
　　“Alifeontheoceanwave，Ahomeontherollingdeep，Wherecodfishwaggletheirtails’Midtadpolestwofeetdeep。“
　　Theminutehefinished，hewouldbeginreciting“MarcoBozzaris，“
　　andyoucouldbesurethathewouldreachthelastlineonlytocommenceonthespeechof“Logan，ChiefoftheMingoes，“oranyoneofthefiftyothers。Hecouldmakeyourhairstandalittlestraighterthananyoneelse；thebestteachersweeverhad，orevenLaddie，couldn’tmakeyoushiveryandcreepyashecould。
　　Becauseallofuskeptgoinglikethateveryday，peoplecouldn’tpasswithouthearing，soTHATwaswhatMr。Pryormeant。
　　Ihadapulpitinthesoutheastcorneroftheorchard。Ilikedthatplacebestofallbecausefromityoucouldseetwosidesatonce。Theveryfirstlittle，oldlogcabinthathadbeenonourland，theonemyfatherandmothermovedinto，hadstoodinthatcorner。Itwasallgonenow；butaflowerbedoftiny，purpleiris，notsotallasthegrass，spreadthere，andsomestripedgrassintheshadiestplaces，andamongtheflowersalarkbroodedeveryspring。Inthefencecornermother’sbigwhiteturkeyhenalwaysnested。Toprotectherfromrainandtoohotsun，fatherhadslippedsomeboardsbetweentherailsaboutthreefeetfromtheground。Aftertheturkeyleft，thatwasmypulpit。
　　Istoodthereandusedthetopofthefenceformyrailing。