keep it from bubbling over."

"That's jest like you, Rose Mary, a-welcoming a whole passel of
pesters that have deluged down on you at one time," said Uncle Tucker
with a dubiously appreciative smile at Rose Mary's hospitable
enthusiasm. "Looks to me like a girl tending three old folks, one
rampage of a boy, a mollycuddle of a strange man, and a whole petting
spoiled village has got enough on her shoulders without this
four-foot, two-foot landslide."

"But it's in my heart I carry you all, old Sweetie," answered Rose
Mary with a flirt of her long lashes up at Uncle Tucker. "A woman can
carry things as a blessing in her heart that might be an awful burden
on her shoulders. Don't you know I don't allow you out before the sun
is up good without your muffler tied up tight? There; please go on
back to the barn and take this crock of skimmed milk to Mrs.
Sniffie--wait, I'll pour back some of the cream! And in just a few
minutes I'll be ready to--"

"Rose Mary, Rose Mary," came a wild, enthusiastic shout from up the
path toward the Briars and in a moment the General appeared around the
row of lilac bushes through which the milk-house trail led down under
the hill to Rose Mary's sanctum of the golden treasure. Stonie had
taken time before leaving the seclusion of his apartment to plunge
into his short blue jeans trousers, but he was holding them up with
one hand and struggling with his gingham shirt, the tail of which
bellowed out like a sail in the morning breeze as he sped along. And
in his wake came Tobe with a pan in one hand and a cup in the other.
"It's two calves, Tobe says, with just Mrs. Butter for the mother and
Sniffie beat her with three more puppies than two calves. It's sixteen