“‘The groves were God’s first temples,’” repeated Mr. Parlin, reverently.  “These trees have no undergrowth of shrubs, like our New England trees.”

“But, O, look! look, papa!  What is that long green dangle, dripping down from up high?  No, swinging up from down low?’

“Yes, what is um, Uncle Eddard?”

“That is a mistletoe-vine embracing a hickory tree.  It is called a ‘tree-thief,’ because it steals its food from the tree it grows upon.”

“Why, papa, I shouldn’t think ’twas a thief, for the tree knows it.  A thief comes in the night, when there doesn’t anybody know it. I should think ’twas a beggar.”

“I fink so too,” said Flyaway, straining her eyes to look at she knew not what.  “I fink um ought to ask pease.”

“All this tract of country where we are riding now,” said Mrs. Clifford, “was overflowed last spring by the river.  It is called ‘bottom land,’ and is extremely rich.”

“I never thought the Hoojers had a very clean, blue, pretty river,” said Dotty, thoughtfully; “it looks some like a mud-puddle.  Perhaps it carried off too much of this dirt.”

“Muddy-puddil,” replied Katie, “full of dirt.”

As they rode they passed houses whose chimneys were inhospitably left out of doors.

“Why, look, auntie,” said Dotty; “theres a house turned wrong side out!”

These buildings had no cellars, but were propped upon logs, leaving room for the air to pass under the floor, and for other things to pass under, such as cats, dogs, and chickens.

“Why, where do the people go to when they want to go down cellar?” asked Dotty, in a maze.

Near one of these houses she was seized with an irresistible thirst.  Mr. Parlin gave the reins to Mrs. Clifford, and stepped out of the carriage, then helped Dotty and Katie to alight.

They found a sharp-nosed woman cooking corn-dodgers for a family of nine children.  Whether it was their breakfast or dinner hour, it was hard to tell.  When Mr. Parlin asked for water, the woman wiped her forehead with her apron, and replied, “O, yes, stranger,” and one of the little girls, whose face was stained with something besides the kisses of the sun, brought some water from the spring in a gourd.

“Well, Dotty Dimple,” said Mrs. Clifford, when they were all on their way again, “what did you see in the house?”

“O, I saw a woman with a whittled nose, and a box of flowers in the window.”

“And children,” said Katie; “four, five hunnerd chillen.”

“The box was labelled ‘Assorted Lozenges,’” said Mr. Parlin; “but I observed that it contained a black imperial rose; so the occupants have an eye for beauty, after all.  I presume they cannot trust their flowers out of doors on account of the pigs.”

“They brought me water in a squash-shell,” cried Dotty; “it is so funny out West!”