a small bottle for which the child
waited eagerly, "you are a-doing the right thing to take nice things to
Mis' Bostick and the Deacon and I'm proud of your being so kind and
thoughtful. Do they ever ask you where you bring 'em from?"

"I always tell 'em, Mother Mayberry. Deacon said I oughtn't to get
things from other folks to bring to 'em, but I told him that you and
Mis' Pratt and Mis' Mosbey and Mis' Peavey would be mad at me if I just
took things from Maw to 'em and slighted they cooking. I pick out the
best things everybody makes. Maw's light rolls, Mis' Pratt's sunshine
cake and cream potatoes, Cindy's chicken and Mis' Peavey for baked
hash. I took the custards from Miss Elinory to please her; but Mis'
Mosbey's is better. I wanted 'em to have the best they is on the Road,
'cause they is old and they is our'n."

"Bless your dear little heart, the best they shall have always!"
exclaimed Mother Mayberry, as she hugged her small confrere close
against her side and wiped away a tear with a quick gesture. "Now you
can go fix up Nath Mosbey's finger to suit your mind, Sister Pike," she
added with a laugh as she, bestowed the bottle.

The rest of the morning was filled to the minute for the Mayberry
household, which seemed possessed with a frenzy of polishing and
garnishing. After Cindy had done her worst with broom and mop, Mother
Mayberry with feather duster and cloth, Miss Wingate threw her energies
with abandon into the accomplishing of a most artistic scheme of
decoration. She set tall jars of white locust blossoms in the hall
which shone out mystically in the cool dusk. She mingled lilac and red
bud, cherry blossoms and narcissus and trailed long vines of
honeysuckle over every possible place.

"Dearie me," said Mother Mayberry, as she paused in her busy manoeuvers
to take in what Miss Wingate proudly declared to be the completed
effect, "everybody will think they have walked into a flower show. I'm
sorry I never thought of inviting in the outdoors to any of my parties
before. I wonder if some of the meek folks, that our dear Lord told
about being invited in from the byways and hedges, mightn't a-brought
some of the hedge blooms along into the feast with 'em. Thank you,
child, the prettiness will feed everybody's eye, I know, but you'd
better run along and get to whipping on that custard for they stomicks.
This here is a Mission Circle, but it have got a good knife and fork
by-law to it. Make a plenty and if w