r wit in many senses of the word.

At the appearance of their be-hatted parents on Mother Mayberry's front
walk they all swooped over and stood in a circle around the gate. A
mother who has many calls in the life-complicated to take her out of
reach of the children is different from a mother who is always in the
house, kitchen, garden or at a convenient neighbor's, and this weekly
three-hour separation occasionally had disastrous results.

"Have anything happened, 'Liza?" asked her mother, as she ran a
practised eye over her group and detected not a loose end. Eliza and
Bud had rolled over the wheelbarrow, led by the prancing team.

"No'm," answered Eliza, "everybody's been good and the Deacon have told
us three Bible tales, and my side have beat Henny's five catches and
one loose. But Henny played his'n good," she added, with a worthy
victor's generosity to the fallen foe.

"Here's a whole bucket of cakes Cindy and Miss Elinory made in case we
found a good passel of children when the meeting was over," said Mother
Mayberry as she tendered the crisp reward of merit to Bud Pike, who
stood nearest her.

"Thank you, ma'am," answered Bud, mindful of his manners. "Say, 'Liza,
let's all go down and set on the pump and eat 'em, and we can drink
water, too, so they will last longer."

"All right," answered Eliza, and she set about unharnessing the young
team, who immediately scampered after the rest. She handed little
Hoover to Mrs. Pratt and was preparing to set off with Teether in the
wake of the cake bucket, when the widow called to her.

"'Liza, honey," she said, "here's some peppermints for you. They wasn't
enough to give some to all the children, but I want you to get a bite,
anyway."

"Thanky, ma'am, but I don't like the fresh air taste of 'em in my
mouth," answered Eliza. "But can you give me five of 'em? I want one
for Deacon and Mis' Bostick and I want one for Squire Tutt, 'cause he
do love peppermint so. He wouldn't take the medicine Mother Mayberry
fixes for him if she didn't put peppermint in it. He says so. He's
porely and have got his head all tied up in a shawl, 'cause prayer
meeting day Mis' Tutt sings hymns all the time and music gives him
misery in his ears. I want to give her one, too, and I want one for
Cindy."

"I'll save all in the box for you, sweetie," assented Mrs. Pratt
heartily. "Now run along, for you might get left out of that cake
eating."

"No, ma'am, I won't," answered Eliza with co