"What has Mr. Rogers done to make your brother uneasy about the
secret?" I asked Roxanne in a voice that I could see, myself, was
worried.

"Nothing at all," laughed Roxanne; "but we are all just as
superstitious as old Uncle Pompey, and because Douglass has a
'feeling' about Mr. Rogers, we all have to have it, too. We make it a
point to 'feel' with each other as both Douglass and I did when we
just knew with Uncle Pompey that the white rooster would die from the
lye soap that Lovey made him take in a pill. It took Douglass and me
two whole days to get Lovey to go on his honor about doctoring the
chicken, but he finally agreed, if we would promise to let him do
things to all of us whenever he wanted to. Douglass lets him treat his
head with cold water, which is just hard rubbing that he likes better
than anything, every night before supper. I'm wearing a yarn string
around my ankle now for rheumatism that I haven't got. In fact we are
all 'on honor' with Lovey, to save the 'live stock,' as Uncle Pompey
calls himself and the chickens."

Never having had any experience with little boys, I can't say
positively that Lovelace Peyton is a wonder, but I firmly believe it
and his honor is entirely grown up while he is not quite five. I've
seen it work. If he says he will or he won't, he acts accordingly, no
matter what happens to him or anybody else. But he is careful how he
promises and he leaves himself plenty of room to carry on what he
calls his practice, to the uneasiness of himself and all the
neighbors. It cost Miss Prissy ten bottles, a pint of red paint, and a
package of sulphur to buy the life of her gray cat for this year, but
now she has no uneasiness about Tab at all.