"Oh, shoo!" she repeated again and again. "I ain't never had no
thought of marryin'."

"Course you ain't," said Mrs. Wiggs. "Good enough reason: you ain't
had a show before. Seems to me you'd be flyin' straight in the face of
Providence to refuse a stylish, sweet-smilin' man like that."

"He is fine-lookin'," acknowledged Miss Hazy, trying not to appear too
pleased; "only I wisht his years didn't stick out so much."

Mrs. Wiggs was exasperated.

"Lawsee! Miss Hazy, what do you think he'll think of yer figger? Have
you got so much to brag on, that you kin go to pickin' him to pieces?
Do you suppose I'd 'a' dared to judge Mr. Wiggs that away? Why, Mr.
Wiggs's nose was as long as a clothespin; but I would no more 'a'
thought of his nose without him than I would 'a' thought of him
without the nose."

"Well, what do you think I'd orter do 'bout it?" asked Miss Hazy.

"I ain't quite made up my mind," said her mentor. "I'll talk it over
with the neighbors. But I 'spect, if we kin skeer up a quarter, that
you'll answer by the mornin's mail."

That night Lovey Mary sat in her little attic room and held Tommy
close to her hungry heart. All day she worked with the thought of
coming back to him at night; but with night came the dustman, and in
spite of her games and stories Tommy's blue eyes would get full of the