The bluebells
were pushing through the sod in a race with the Easter and star
flowers. One morning Mary aroused Jimmy with a pull at his arm.
"Jimmy, Jimmy," she cried. "Wake up!"
"Do you mane, wake up, or get up?" asked Jimmy sleepily.
"Both," cried Mary. "The larks are here!"
A little later Jimmy shouted from the back door to the barn:
"Dannie, do you hear the larks?"
"Ye bet I do," answered Dannie. "Heard ane goin' over in the
nicht. How long is it now till the Kingfisher comes?"
"Just a little while," said Jimmy. "If only these March storms
would let up 'stid of down! He can't come until he can fish, you
know. He's got to have crabs and minnies to live on."
A few days later the green hylas began to pipe in the swamps, the
bullfrogs drummed among the pools in the bottom, the doves cooed in
the thickets, and the breath of spring was in the nostrils of all
creation, for the wind was heavy with the pungent odor of catkin
pollen. The spring flowers were two inches high. The peonies and
rhubarb were pushing bright yellow and red cones through the earth.
The old gander, leading his flock along the Wabash, had hailed
passing flocks bound northward until he was hoarse; and the Brahma
rooster had threshed the yellow dorkin until he took refuge under
the pig pen, and dare not stick out his unprotected head.
The doors had stood open at supper time, and Dannie staid up late,
mending and oiling the harness. Jimmy sat by cleaning his gun, for
to his mortification he had that day missed killing a crow which
stole from the ash hopper the egg with which Mary tested the
strength of the lye.
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