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"May I sit on your lap?" she said. Mother Rodesia made a place for her at once. "Put your arm wound me, p'ease; I is still a teeny bit s'eepy." "You lay your head against my breast, little love, and you'll go off into a beautiful sleep, and I'll keep you nice and warm, for hot as the days are, it's chilly in the mornin's."
Mustn't get down amongst the oxen. One might kick you. Lie down and take a nap with sister. When you waken it will be nice and cool again." "Not s'eepy!" objected Buddy for the twentieth time in the past two hours. But he crawled back, and his mother, relieved of his restless presence, leaned forward to watch the approach of her husband and the cowboy.
She shut the door behind the children, returning in a few minutes with bowls of bread and milk. Diana sat listlessly down on the nearest bench. "I's awfu' s'eepy," she said. She did not quite know what was the matter with her; it seemed as if something had suddenly knocked all her spirit away. She did not know herself without the brave spirit which God had put into her little breast.
"What a lark it will be to see you punished, Diana. I wonder when your first time will come? I expect rather soon. You had best obey mamma, I can tell you, and papa too; if you don't, you'll just catch it hot." "Boo!" replied Diana, "you is a silly boy." Then she turned to Mary. "I is awfu' tired and s'eepy," she said. "I'd like to go stwaight to bed." "You must have supper first.
"Let's put on our shoes," he said; "we can't go far in bare feet." "We can't go far in bare foots," echoed Diana, in a dreary sort of voice. "I's s'eepy. Shall we wun away in the morning, Orion?" "No; to-night! to-night!" he said, in terror. "You'll break your promise if we don't go to-night." "All wight," she answered.
They waked the child from its delicate sleep; its blue eyes opened wide and wise all on the instant, its round soft arm ran up to its mother's neck, and it said: "Don't c'y! I want to s'eep wif you! I'se so s'eepy!"
There were no people about to see them, even Aunt Sarah was far away in one of the wings. "There! we is safe," said Orion. "We has runned away, and we are safe." "We has wunned away and we is safe," echoed Diana, in that dreary little voice. "But, Orion, I's drefful s'eepy." "Never mind," said Orion; "we'll sleep in the fields." "We'll s'eep in the fields," echoed Diana, in a vague manner.
"I isn't s'eepy any longer," said Diana, sitting bolt upright in the cart. "Oh, what a funny dwess I has on. Where is my nice b'ack dwess, and my pinafore, and my shoes and socks?" "Well, dear," said Mother Rodesia, "you were so dead asleep, and the pony got that lame we couldn't stir hand nor foot, so I thought it best to put a little nightdress on you."
"Well, lad, p'raps ye are, but Nelly ain't; so we'll camp here, an' take 'em by surprise in the morning early." Nelly, who had been carried on the backs of those who had broadest shoulders during the last dozen miles, smiled faintly when spoken to, and said she was "ve-y s'eepy!" So they set to work in the usual style, and were soon comfortably seated in their snowy encampment.
She has gived us supper and soon we'll be home; and Uncle William won't be in bed, and he won't let c'uel Aunt Jane beat me. It's all wight; I may just as well go to s'eep, 'cos I is drefful s'eepy, and it's late. I wonder if the night will be starful, and if I'll see Orion up in the sky. Anyhow, there's no stars at pwesent, and I had best go to s'eep."
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