his arm
around her with a protective gesture. "We'll water 'em twice a day and
just _make_ 'em grow, won't we, Tobe?"

"Bucketfuls 'til we drap," answered Tobe with a sympathy equal to and
a courage as great as that of his superior officer.

"Is the blue myrtle sprig often the graves holding up its leaves,
Amandy?" asked Miss Lavinia in a softened tone of voice.

"Yes, it's doing fine," answered Miss Amandy, bending over to the last
of the row of cans.

"Then come on and get out the burying things and let's get that job
over," Miss Lavinia continued to insist. "Don't get our things mixed!
Remember that my grave shift has got nothing but a seemly stitched
band on it while you would have linen lace on yours. And don't let
anything get wrinkled. I don't want to rise on Judgment Day looking
like I needed the pressing of a hot iron. Now pull out the trunk,
boys, lift out the tray so as I can--"

But at this juncture Rose Mary appeared at the door with a tray on
which stood a bowl of soup, and Miss Lavinia lay back on her pillows
weakly, with the fire all gone out of her eyes and exhaustion written
on every line of her determined old face.

"Go get dinner, everybody, so we can get back to work," she directed
weakly as she raised the spoon to her lips and then rested a moment
before she could take another sip. And with the last spoonful she
looked up and whispered to Rose Mary, "You'll have to do the rest
child, I can't drive any farther with a broke heart. I've got to lay
myself in the arms of prayer and go to sleep." And so rested, Rose
Mary left her.

Then finding the motive powers which had been driving her removed,
little Miss Amandy stole away to the cedar grove behind the garden
fence, the boys scampered with the greatest glee across the Road to
the scene of mop and broom action behind the store, and Uncle Tucker
stiffly mounted old Gray to drive the cows away to their separate
homes. The thrifty neighbors had been glad to buy and pay him cash for
the sleek animals, and their price had been the small capital which
had been available for Uncle Tucker to embark on the commercial seas
in partnership with Mr. Crabtree.

Thus left to herself in the old house, Rose Mary wandered from room to
room trying to put things in shape for the morrow's moving and
breasting her deep waters with what strength she could summon. Up to
this last day some strange hope had buoyed her up, and it was only at
this moment when the ine