supper, "but I ain't a-letting no foolish pride hold my heart back
from my honey-bird. Love's my bread of life and I offers it free,
high or low. Come on and see how you like that cheese fixing she's
done made for you."




CHAPTER III

THE PEONY-GIRL AND THE BUMPKIN


"There's just no doubt about it, if Tom Mayberry weren't my own son
and I had occasion to know better I'd think he had teeth in his
heels, from the looks of his socks. Every week Cindy darns them a
spell and then I take a hand at it. Just look, Elinory, did you ever
see a worser hole than this?" As Mother Mayberry spoke she held up
for Miss Wingate's interested inspection a fine, dark blue sock.
They were sitting on the porch in the late afternoon and the singer
lady was again at work on a bit of wardrobe for the doll daughter of
her friend Eliza.

"How does he manage such--such awful ones?" asked Miss Wingate with
a laugh.

"That you can't never prove by me," answered his mother as she
slipped a small gourd into the top of the sock and drew a thread
through her needle.