messages to Tom."

"Wasn't it fortunate you thought of the dress and lovely for you to
be able to go right by and get it!" exclaimed Miss Wingate, her eyes
as bright as Mother Mayberry's and her cheeks pink with excitement
as the tale began to unfold its dramatic length.

"Yes, and Seliny Lue was glad enough to see me! We laughed and
talked half the night, was up early, and she took a time to rig me
out. It is a stiff black silk, as anybody would be proud of, cut
liberal with real lace collar and cuffs. Seliny Lue said I looked
fine in it. I wisht she could have gone with me, but they wasn't
room for both of us inside the dress." And Mother laughed merrily at
the memory of her borrowing escapade.

"Did Doctor Mayberry know you were coming?" asked the singer lady,
hurrying on the climax of the recital.

"Not a word! He'd gone off the week before taking it sensible, but I
could see hurt mightily about it. I got to the University Hall late,
and 'most everybody in the world looked like they was there. I stood
at the back and didn't hope to see or hear, just thankful to be near
him, but I seen one of them young usher men a-looking hard at me and
he came up and asked me if I wasn't Mr. Thomas Mayberry's mother. He
had knew me by the favor. I told him yes and he took me up to the
very front just as the singing begun. I soon got me and the silk
dress settled, with the bokay all Providence had sent Tom on my
knee, and looked around me. There next to me was the sweetest young-
lady girl I have 'most ever saw, and she smiled at me real friendly.
I was just about to speak when the music stopped and the addressing