long red grass. Yulka curled up like a baby
rabbit and played with a grasshopper. An-
tonia pointed up to the sky and questioned
me with her glance. I gave her the word, but
she was not satisfied and pointed to my eyes.
I told her, and she repeated the word, making
it sound like "ice." She pointed up to the
sky, then to my eyes, then back to the sky,
with movements so quick and impulsive that
she distracted me, and I had no idea what she
wanted. She got up on her knees and wrung
her hands. She pointed to her own eyes and
shook her head, then to mine and to the sky,
nodding violently.

"Oh," I exclaimed, "blue; blue sky."

She clapped her hands and murmured,
"Blue sky, blue eyes," as if it amused her.
While we snuggled down there out of the
wind she learned a score of words. She was
quick, and very eager. We were so deep in the
grass that we could see nothing but the blue
sky over us and the gold tree in front of us. It
was wonderfully pleasant. After Antonia had
said the new words over and over, she wanted
to give me a little chased silver ring she wore
on her middle finger. When she coaxed and
insisted, I repulsed her quite sternly. I didn't

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p028 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p029w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p030

v?