He knew that "Run-to-mother-now" meant that something he would delight in but must not watch was going to take place.

Spankings more or less official and not often painful signified that big folks did not understand him and his activities, or were cross about something.
Now, mother did not want him to watch the wild cow run and jump at the end of a rope until finally forced to submit to the ox-yoke and help pull the wagon.

Buddy loved to watch them, but he understood that mother was afraid the wild cow might step on him.

Why she should want him to sleep when he was not sleepy he had not yet discovered, and so disdained to give it serious consideration.
"Not s'eepy," Buddy stated again emphatically as a sort of mental dismissal of the command, and crawled carefully past Sister and lifted a flap of the canvas cover.

A button--the last button--popped off his pink apron and the sleeves rumpled down over his hands.