Mayberry teased me about it to the day of his death. He called Tom
'Ugly' for short. But he mighty soon begun to sprout little pleasing
ways, a-looking up under them black lashes and a-laughing acrost my
breast. His cheeks was rosy, his back broad and his legs straight,
same as now. He teethed easy, walked soon, have never learned to
talk much yet, and had his measles and whooping-cough when his time
come. I just thought he were something 'cause he were mine. All
babies is astonishing miracles to they mothers."

"But I'm sure Doctor Mayberry was really wonderful," said Miss
Wingate, instantly sympathetic. "Had he always such black hair?"

"Borned with it. Now, my little girl had beautiful yellow curls and
I can show you one, by the Lord's mercy I've got it." Mother paused
and an ineffable gentleness came into her lovely old face. "I want
to tell you about it, honey-heart, 'cause it have got a strange
sweetness to it. She wasn't but five years old when she died, tooken
sudden with pneumony cruel bad. Nobody thought to cut me one of her
curls before they laid her away, and when I come to myself I grieved
over it more than I had oughter. But one day when the fall come on
and the days was short and dark; and it looked like nothing couldn't
light up the old house with that sunshine head gone, me almost a-
feeling bitter and questioning why, Tom went out and picked up a
robin's nest that had blowed down from a tree in the yard. And
there, wound around inside it, was the little curl I had cut off in
the spring, out on the porch, what had tagged into her eyes and
worried her! The mother bird had used it to make the nest soft for
her babies and now didn't need it no more. When I looked at it I
took it as a message and a sign that my Lord hadn't forgot me, and I
ain't never mistrusted Him again. Come, let me show it to you."