sisters. I'm so glad she's a-bringing her sewing to set a spell.
Come in, Bettie, here's a rocker a-holding out arms to you!" Little
Hoover was as usual bobbing in Bettie's arms and he gurgled at the
sight of Teether Pike as if in joy at this encounter with his side
partner and when deposited upon the floor beside him made a
brotherly grab at one of young Pike's pink feet in the most manifest
interest.

"Well, if this just ain't filling at the price," said the widow as
she settled herself in the rocker, and Mother Mayberry established
herself in one opposite, while Miss Wingate elected to remain on the
step by the babies. "I left Pattie over to my house helping Clara
May get a little weed-pulling outen 'Lias and Henny in my garden.
Buck Peavey have just passed by looking like the last of pea-time
and the first of frost. I do declare it were right down funny to see
Pattie toss her head at him, and them boys both giggled out loud. He
ain't spoke to Pattie for a week 'cause she sang outen Sam Mosbey's
hymn-book last Wednesday night at prayer meeting. He've got a long-
meter doxology face for sure."

"And he's a-suffering, too," answered Mother Mayberry with the
utmost sympathy in her placid face at the troubles of her favorite,
Buck, the lover. "To some folks love is a kinder inflammatory
rheumatism of the soul and a-deserving of pity."

A vision of a girl at a college commencement with her nose buried in
a pink peony, looking up and smiling, flashed across the
consciousness of the singer lady and she pressed her head between
little Hoover's chubby shoulders, and acknowledged herself a fit
subject for sympathy. To go and not even think of telling her good-