asleep. He was tired out picking rocks all the forenoon, and
Polly had shut the door and said he mustn't be waked up. So
there he lay, his arm thrown up over his flushed cheeks; and the
long hot summer afternoon ahead of Joel, and he must spend it
alone.

"All the birds have lots of themselves to play with," grumbled
Joel, idly slinging a stone at a pack of chattering young ones
who could not contain their pride at being able to fly so finely,
but kept screaming every minute, "Look at me. Chee-chee-chee.
See-me-chee-chee-chee!"

Now they cocked their little heads and stared down with their
black beady eyes at Joel; when they saw it was he, they chirped
and twittered worse than ever. "See me. Chee-chee-chee!
Look-at-me-chee-chee-chee!"

"Stop it!" cried Joel, crossly, looking up at them; "Davie's
abed, an' I haven't any one to play with, an' you have, lots an'
lots." Then a smile broke out and ran all over his chubby face,
and he flung another stone he had picked off as far as he could
into the grass.

The little birds, glad to see him smile, fluttered their wings
and flew off, screaming proudly, "See-me-chee-chee-chee!"

"I'm going fishing down to Cherry Brook," said Joel, left alone
with not a bird in sight. Even the squirrels seemed to have
business at a distance that afternoon; so he hopped off from his
stone and ran to get his old tin pail and the remnant of an iron