"My _tatinek_ make me little hat with the
skins, little hat for win-ter!" she exclaimed
joyfully. "Meat for eat, skin for hat," -- she
told off these benefits on her fingers.

Her father put his hand on her hair, but she
caught his wrist and lifted it carefully away,
talking to him rapidly. I heard the name of
old Hata. He untied the handkerchief, sepa-
rated her hair with his fingers, and stood look-
ing down at the green insect. When it began
to chirp faintly, he listened as if it were a
beautiful sound.

I picked up the gun he had dropped; a queer
piece from the old country, short and heavy,
with a stag's head on the cock. When he saw
me examining it, he turned to me with his far-
away look that always made me feel as if I
were down at the bottom of a well. He spoke
kindly and gravely, and Antonia translated: --

"My _tatinek_ say when you are big boy, he
give you his gun. Very fine, from Bohemie.
It was belong to a great man, very rich, like
what you not got here; many fields, many
forests, many big house. My papa play for
his wedding, and he give my papa fine gun,
and my papa give you."

I was glad that this project was one of fu-

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p045 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p046w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p046x2a

v?