"It's time you went to sleep again, Baby," said Zoe, her foot on the
rocker, but the babycoula gurgled and waved her fat arms to be taken
up, so the patient nurse took up the heavy little child and played with
her.
"Little rabbit, go, go, go," she said, making her little fingers creep
up the soft little arm, as American children play "creep mousie," with
their baby sisters.
"Dear little rabbit, go and take a drink,
Baby's neck is cool and clean and sweet,"
and the little girl's fingers tickled the warm little neck and Domna
laughed and gurgled in glee. Zoe danced her up and down on her knee and
sang,
"Babycoula, dance to-day,
Alas, the fiddler's gone away,
He's gone to Athens far away,
Find him and bring him back to play."
The pretty play went on, and at last the tiny head drooped on Zoe's
shoulder and the babycoula slept again. Then her little nurse gently
laid her in the cradle, tucked in the covers and sat slowly waving an
olive branch above her to keep away the flies.
Zoe's uncle lived in Thessaly, that part of Northern Greece where
splendid grain fields cover the plains, a golden glory of ripened
sheaves.
Uncle Georgios worked in the fields in harvest time and the rest of the
year he was a shepherd, herding sheep and goats in the highlands. The
boys worked with him. There were Marco and Spiridon, well grown boys of
eighteen and twenty, working hard for their sisters' marriage portions,
which must be earned before they themselves could be married. After
Spiridon came Loukas, a sailor, who was always away from home, and then
Maria and Anna. Another boy, mischievous Georgios, was next in age
to Anna, there were two little girls younger than she, and then Baby
Domna, Zoe's especial charge.
It had been a hard summer. The sirocco had blown from Africa and made
the days so hot that all field work had to be done at night. Now the
threshing-floors were busy and Uncle Georgios was working early and
late to get in the grain.
"Zoe!" called Aunt Anna from within the house. "It is time to take your
uncle's dinner to him."
"Yes, Aunt," said Zoe, rising from the doorway, and hastening to take
the basket Aunt Anna had prepared. There was black bread, fresh garlic
and eggs. Then she ran quickly along the path which led to the fields.
It was a beautiful day and the air was fresh and sweet.
"I am Atalanta running for the apple," laughed Zoe to herself, as
she sped up the hill, reaching the threshing-place just at noon. The
threshing-floor was very old and made of stone. It was thirty feet
across, and over its stone floor cattle were driven up and down, with
their hoofs beating the grain out of the straw. Zoe stood and watched
the patient creatures going back and forth yoked together in pairs.
"Heu! Zoe!" called Marco, with whom she was a great favourite, "Have
you brought us to eat?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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