wil' cats live in, Wil' Cat Hole. Frale, he war a hunt'n fer a cat. Some
men thar at th' hotel, they war plumb mad to hunt a wil' cat with th'
dogs, an' Frale, he 'lowed to git th' cat fer 'em."

"And when was that?"

"Las' summah, when th' hotel war open. They war a heap o' men at th'
hotel."

"And now about the bee tree?"

"Frale, he nevah let on like he know'd thar war a bee tree, an' then
this fall he took me with him, an' we made a big fire, an' then we cut
down th' tree, an' we stayed thar th' hull day, too, an' eat thar an'
had ros'n ears by th' fire, too."

"I say, you know. There seem to be a lot of things you will have to
enlighten me about. After you get through with the bee tree you must
tell me what 'ros'n ears' are. And then what did you do?"

"Thar war a heap o' honey. That tree, hit war nigh-about plumb full o'
honey, and th' bees war that mad you couldn't let 'em come nigh ye
'thout they'd sting you. They stung me, an' I nevah hollered. Frale, he
'lowed ef you hollered, you wa'n't good fer nothin', goin' bee hunt'n'."

"Is Frale your brother?"

"Yas. He c'n do a heap o' things, Frale can. They war a heap o' honey in
that thar tree, 'bout a bar'l full, er more'n that. We hev a hull tub o'
honey out thar in th' loom shed yet, an' maw done sont all th' rest to
th' neighbors, 'cause maw said they wa'n't no use in humans bein' fool
hogs like th' bees war, a-keepin' more'n they could eat jes' fer
therselves."

"Yas," called the mother from her corner, where she had been admiringly
listening; "they is a heap like that-a-way, but hit ain't our way here
in th' mountains. Let th' doctah tell you suthin' now, Hoyle,--ye mount
larn a heap if ye'd hark to him right smart, 'thout talkin' th' hull
time youse'f."

"I has to tell him 'bouts th' ros'n ears--he said so. Thar they be." He
pointed to a bunch of Indian corn. "You wrop 'em up in ther shucks,
whilst ther green an' sof', and kiver 'em up in th' ashes whar hit's
right hot, and then when ther rosted, eat 'em so. Now, what do you
know?"

"Why, he knows a heap, son. Don't ax that-a-way."

"In my country, away across the ocean--" began David.

"Tell 'bout th' ocean, how hit look."

"In my country we don't have Indian corn nor bee trees, nor wild cat
holes, but we have the ocean all around us, and we see the ships and--"

"Like that thar one whar th' boy stood whilst hit war on fire?"

"Something like, yes." Then he told about the sea and the sh