"I never wanted for pa'tridges or gray squer'ls while he was to home...."See in text(Part I)
In another example of vernacular style, “pa’tridges” refers to partridges, a type of game bird also called quail; “squer’ls” is Mrs. Tilley’s pronunciation of “squirrels.” The expression “to home” means “at home.” Mrs. Tilley’s speech will continue to reflect Jewett’s use of vernacular style in the story.
"but you're welcome to what we've got...."See in text(Part I)
Mrs. Tilley’s extending hospitality to the stranger indicates that she is generous by nature. The passage also suggests that she does not have much money.
The author’s description of Sylvia suggests feelings of sympathy and affection for the character that contribute to the personal rather than objective tone of the story.
"a plodding, dilatory, provoking creature in her behavior, but a valued companion for all that..."See in text(Part I)
“Plodding” means slow-moving; “dilatory” means being slow to act in order to cause delay. “Provoking” is defined as being irritating and causing annoyance. The cow’s being a “valued companion,” despite having these negative traits, suggests that the little girl might have no other companions; it also suggests her love of animals, which will play an important role in the story.
"she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its life away...."See in text(Part II)
Despite how much Sylvia wants to please the young hunter and earn for her grandmother his reward for revealing the white heron’s nest, she cannot do it at the expense of the heron’s life. The heron is a symbol of the beauty and freedom found in the natural world that Sylvia loves as a child of the woods. By refusing to betray the heron, Sylvia expresses her deepest personal values.
"No, she must keep silence!..."See in text(Part II)
The story reaches its dramatic climax when Sylvia decides she cannot tell the hunter the location of the white heron, knowing that he will find the heron and kill it.
"He can make them rich with money; he has promised it, and they are poor now...."See in text(Part II)
The passage summarizes Sylvia’s reasons for discovering the location of the white heron’s nest: for much-needed money and for love of the young hunter, two very strong motivations for her.
The point of view in the story shifts again as the author speaks directly to readers. Also, the narration now shifts to the present tense, drawing readers into events as they happen, creating the feeling of sharing them with Sylvia.
"Sylvia felt as if she too could go flying away among the clouds...."See in text(Part II)
In climbing the tall pine, Sylvia enters a part of the natural world that is new to her, and the experience is thrilling. She identifies with the freedom of the hawks flying nearby.
"How low they looked in the air from that height when one had only seen them before far up, and dark against the blue sky...."See in text(Part II)
The passage features two physical points of view: how the hawks appeared looking down at them from the tall pine versus how they appeared looking up at them from the ground.
