in her simplicity of heart not at all catching the subtle drift of his
question. "They all missed you, and Uncle Tucker went to bed almost
grumpy, while Stonie--"

"Rose Mamie," came in a sleepy but determined voice as the General in
a long-tailed nightshirt appeared in the dark doorway, "I went to
sleep and you never came back to hear me pray. Something woke me;
maybe the puppy in my bed or maybe God. I'll come out there and say
'em so you won't wake the puppy, because he's goned back to sleep," he
added in a voice that was hushed to a tone of extreme consideration
for the slumber of his young bedfellow.

"Yes, honey-heart, come say them here. Mr. Mark won't mind. I came
back, Stonie, to hear them, truly I did, but you were so fast to sleep
and so tired I hated to wake you." And Rose Mary held out tender arms
to the little chap who came and knelt on the floor at her side,
between her and Everett.

"But, Rose Mamie, you know Aunt Viney says tired ain't no 'scuse to
the Lord, and I don't think it are neither. I reckon He's tired, too,
sometimes, but He don't go back on the listening, and I ain't a-going
to go back on the praying. It wouldn't be fair. Now start me!" and
having in a completely argumentative way stated his feelings on the
subject of neglected prayer, the General buried his head on Rose
Mary's shoulder, folded one bare, pink foot across the other, clasped
his hands at proper angle and waited.

"_Now I lay me_," began Rose Mary in a low and tender tone.

"No," remonstrated Stonie in a smothered voice from her shoulder,