Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-01-20

they might 90 into her mothers 'front.'
ward and look. and she said they might.
Then they went over to Mimic Gray's
house, and went into her mothers 'front.'
yard and looked in every one of the lilies,
but couldn't find one. And pretty soon
they saw the funny man that mends UNI
brellas. coming out Of Il house with some
umbrellas that he had to mend, and he
asked them where they were going. and
they said to find some humming-birds'
eggs for Annetta to put in her pudding
that she was going to make in her pudding
pan, because joey Moonbeam was going
to have soap-bubble party. And they
asked him if he knew where to look for
them, and he said they better climb up in
a tree and look. Then he went into an
other house, and then they climbed up in
to Mr.. Bumpus's apple-tree and looked,
and couldn't find any; and Mr.. Bumpus's
shaggy dog came out and barked. and
Mr. Bumpus's boy drove him away. and
limb broke off with Johnny and so he
fell down and it hurt him and made him
cry.
And Mr. Bumpus called the dog. and
told them to never climb up there and
break his limbs off any more. And they
went along. and pretty soon the funny man
came out of another house, and asked
them if they had found any humming
birds eggs, and they said no. Then he
told them butterflies laid theirs on the
backs of leaves, SO they better 90 look on
the backs of leaves and see if humming-
birds did So So they went mo a woman S
| ower-garden and turned some of the
leaves over and looked on the backs ofthem
and cross woman came ont and told
them to be off and not be stepping on her
dover roots. And the funny man was
coming out of house way up long the
road. and when they caught up to him he
.sked them if they found any, and they
said no. Then he laughed, and told them
chat musketoes stuck their eggs together
md let them float on the water in Il bunch
together, and they better 90 over to the
pond, and he sat down to wait. And they
went and looked. and came right back
lgan and said they didn't see any Then
he told them water-spiders laid theirs in
water bubbles under the water. and he said
;hey better 90 back and look again. SO
they went back and padded in the water,
and couldn't see any eggs III any OF the
bubbl 5, and got their shoes and stockings
very muddy with wet mud. And when
hey went back there WAS another man
talking with the funny man, and that 9TH
CT man told them that ostrichcs laid egg
IN the ground for the sun to hatch them
out, and they better 90 dig in the gronn |.
The funny man and the other man laughed
very much; and they went away after that.
AMI then the Jimmies got over L fence
into a garden. because the ground was
very soft there. and began to dig in the
ground; and when they had dug Il great
hole Il nun come up to them and ~colIed
It them for digging that hole IN his gar
len, and he IN ,,le them Gig il back again.
And I've forgot where they went then. Oh,
| know now
up on the hill" cry the Jimmic~, both
together.
"Oh. yes; know now. They went up
) on the hill, and there WIS 4 ny up there,
md that boy told them that my be hum
ming birds had nests in the grass, Just like
rrnunA-Sparrows But they could no: lin, +,
one; and when they were tired of LOOKING
they sat down on the top of the hill. Ano
by and 10y Mr.. Bumpu> came along, anJ
his wife. hats Mrs. Bumpu>.-and sh.
,Skcd them if they had seen Dan,-th 1t s
Dan Bumpus and they said no. Then
She sail She and Mr.. b lmpus We're going
to 4 picnic, ani Dan was going. And she
sud they We're going 10y the new roadway
md she asked them if they would w:j1
there till Dan came. and tell Dan TO @ by
she new roadway. And they promise to
wait and tell Dan. So they waited there
l very lunr time. and didn't want to stay
here any longer; bat they did, 50 :,> /,
tell Dan what they said they would. Ant
then it was Almost noon, and Johnny slo
he WIS hungry, and Jimmy said he wa
100 The funny man saw them sitting ~
IN top of the hill. and he went up softl\
md got behind some bushes wien they
lin't see him, and looked through. AM
one of them wanted To 60 home. and the
'ther one sud 'Twon't do, cause we mus
ell Dan what we said we would So they
waited ever SO long. And the one thu
had the red box took it out and op mel it
md both of EN- looked in. and one of en-
rshcd the other one if he s'po~cd THEN
mother would care if they ate up the sugar
md the other said their mother told then
they might eat the >u@arlumps when they
: found the ery>: 50 they dlIn't know wha
t, d.. And while they were looking ut it
they heard 4 Great humm;ng noise IN tn,
bushes. Then they cr;,wled along tow:r.
the bushes softly rs they could to see wha
was hummin@ there. And they didn't =,
ANYTHING III first, 50 they crawlcd alun
! md pccpcd round on the other side IN
! there they saw something very strange
They saw an old. broken umbrella al
spread open. and Il green bush h,ngina
! Town from it. and they saw The feet of ;
man under the bush; and the hummin1
, anne from behind that umbrella. In,
funny man was behind there. humminr
but they didn't know il; and he WIS look
. INC through 4 hole. And when they
J-rawled up 4 little bit nearer to see Mia
, made that humming noise he turned rounl
50 they could not see behind that umbrrl
, In. And every time they crawlcl another
! WAY he turned round SO they could no
SEE behind that umbrella. And when th..,
began to cry, because they felix Scared Ii,
took down the umbrella, and that made
them laugh.
The baker WI, coming along the new
road. and the funny man stopped him IN,
bought two srcd-c;tkes of him for the jim
4 mics, And he told them they needn't Wal
any longer for Dan, for Dan h al zone b,
: mother way, riding in cart. When h,
, came home with the .Jimmvjohn>, an.
!, when they got most to the burn. they saw
! men-no. mean saw Il little girl name,
\nnrtta (but WAS me. yol know. an,
( the funny man put up his umbrella and be
: ran to hum; and he told her to bark IN,
hear Il great humminy- bird hum, and tn,
{. made me-no, made the little @irl-laugl
!, And she wanted him to keep humming
and she went in and told the folks to Ill
q come out and see great biz hummn,
bird. So the folks came out. and he KEEP
!, moving the old umbrella. they coulln'
!, see who WAS hnmming behind there. An,
/ when hey tried to get behind him, so :,
:. to see who was humming there. he wen
i backward up "g inst the barn; but one 0
. them went in the barn and stuck L site
i, through crack and tickleu his neck, an
: that made hi II Jump away. Thpn Annet
;, taS father sud he knew where there w,
f II humming birds n st. Then they III
d. went across field to some high bushes
4 and Mr.. Plunmer lifted up the little chill
,lren 50 we could look in, and there w
{. 'aw to very, very, tiny. tiny white eggs
# about is big is little Whit. beans. Tn,
;, Jimmirs wanted Annctta to take them t
| put in her pudding, but the funy man sal,
4 they better not He said he read in