"Oh, did he?" asked Miss Wingate with delight shining in her dark
eyes and a beautiful pink rising up in her pale cheeks. "I wish I
COULD do something to please him and make him feel how--how--
grateful I am--for the hope he's given me. I was so hopeless and
unhappy--and desperate when I came. But I believe my voice is coming
back! Every day it's stronger and you are so good to me and make me
so happy that I'm not afraid any more. You give me faith to hope--as
well as to mix biscuits." And a pearly tear splashed on the rolling-
pin.

"Yes, put your trust in the Heavenly Father, child, and some in Tom
Mayberry. Before you know it you'll be singing like the birds out in
the trees; but I can't let myself think about the time's a-coming
for you to fly away to the other people's trees to sing. When Tom
told me about Doctor Stein's wanting to send a great big singer
lady, what had lost her voice, down here to see if he couldn't cure
her like he did that preacher man and the politics speaker, I was
skeered for both him and me, for I knew things was kinder simple
with us here and I was afraid I couldn't make you happy and
comfortable. But then I remembered Doctor Stein had stayed 'most two
weeks when he came South with Tom for a visit and said he had tacked
ten years on to the end of his life by just them few days of
Providence junketings and company feedings, so I made up my mind not
to be proud none and to say for you to come on. I've got faith in my
boy's doctoring same as them New York folks has, and I wanted him to
try to cure you. Then I knew you didn't have no mother to pet up the
sick throat none. A little consoling comfort is a good dose to start
healing any kind of trouble with. I knew I had plenty of that in my
heart to prescribe out to help along with your case; so here you are
not three weeks with us, a-mixing riz biscuits for Tom's supper and