During the first exposure, Modesta was allowed to place and poise
herself as seemed natural. For a second, I used the brush on her
gently, and coaxed her wings into spreading a little wider than was
natural. These positions gave every evidence of being pleasing
and yet I was not satisfied. There was something else in the back
of my head that kept obtruding itself as I walked to the Cabin,
with the beautiful moth clinging to my fingers. I did not feel
quite happy about her, so she was placed in a large box, lined
with corrugated paper, to wait a while until the mist in my brain
cleared, and my nebulous disturbance evolved an idea. It came
slowly. I had a caterpillar long ago, and had investigated the
history of this moth. I asked Raymond where he found her and he
said, "Coming from the game." Now I questioned him about the kind
of a tree, and he promptly answered, "On one of those poplars
behind the schoolhouse."
That was the clue. Instantly I recognized it. A poplar limb was
what I wanted.
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