And she fully attained her end, for he drew back with a look of horror, stretched out his arms to repel her, and exclaimed as he saw her uncontrollable laughter, "Back, demon, back! In the name of the Lord! I ask thee, who art thou ?" "I am Miriam--who else should I be ?" she answered haughtily.
He had expected a different reply, her vivacity annoyed him, and he said angrily, "Whatever your name is you are a fiend, and I will ask Paulus to forbid you to water your beasts at our well." "You might run to your nurse, and complain of me to her if you had one," she answered, pouting her lips contemptuously at him.
He colored; she went on boldly, and with eager play of gesture.
"You ought to be a man, for you are strong and big, but you let yourself be kept like a child or a miserable girl; your only business is to hunt for roots and berries, and fetch water in that wretched thing there.
I have learned to do that ever since I was as big as that!" and she indicated a contemptibly little measure, with the outstretched pointed fingers of her two hands, which were not less expressively mobile than her features.

"Phoh! you are stronger and taller than all the Amalekite lads down there, but you never try to measure yourself with them in shooting with a bow and arrows or in throwing a spear!" "If I only dared as much as I wish!" he interrupted, and flaming scarlet mounted to his face, "I would be a match for ten of those lean rascals." "I believe you," replied the girl, and her eager glance measured the youth's broad breast and muscular arms with an expression of pride.

"I believe you, but why do you not dare?
Are you the slave of that man up there ?" "He is my father and besides--" "What besides ?" she cried, waving her hand as if to wave away a bat.

"If no bird ever flew away from the nest there would be a pretty swarm in it.

Look at my kids there--as long as they need their mother they run about after her, but as soon as they can find their food alone they seek it wherever they can find it, and I can tell you the yearlings there have quite forgotten whether they sucked the yellow dam or the brown one.