like this, but, honey-bird, Tom Mayberry would walk like a hop toad
after he'd done got it on. You have drawn it bad. I don't know no
better time to learn you how to darn your husband's socks than right
now on this one of Tom's. You see you must begin with long cross
stitches in the--Now what's all this a-coming!" And Mother Mayberry
rose, looked down the Road and hurried to the sidewalk with the
darning bag under her arm and her thimble still on her finger.

Up the middle of the Road came, in a body, the entire juvenile
population of Providence at a break-neck speed and farther down the
street they were followed by Deacon Bostick, coming as fast as his
feeble old legs would bring him. Eliza Pike headed the party with
Teether hitched high up en her arm and Martin Luther clinging to her
short blue calico skirt. They all drew up in a semicircle in front
of Mother Mayberry and Miss Wingate and looked at Eliza expectantly.
On all occasions of excitement Eliza was both self-constituted and
unanimously appointed spokesman. On this occasion she began in the
dramatic part of the news without any sort of preamble.

"It's a circus," she said breathlessly, "a-moving over from Bolivar
to Springfield and nelephants and camels and roar-lions and tigers
and Mis' Pratt and Deacon and Mr. Hoover and everybody is a-going
over to watch it pass--and we can't--we can't!" Her voice broke into
a wail, which was echoed by a sob and a howl from across the street
just inside the Pike gate, where Bud and Susie pressed their forlorn
little bodies against the palings and looked out on the world with
the despair of the incarcerated in their eyes.

"Why can't you?" demanded Mother.