tes of the cherry. The day after the wedding
we are a-going to take the two-horse team, a trunk and the ten youngest
and go a-visiting over the Ridge at Mr. Hoover's brother's, Mr.
Biggers. We won't stay more'n a week and stop a day or two coming back
to see Andy and Carrie Louise. Then we'll drop the little ones here on
you neighbors and pick up the seven big ones, add Buck for a compliment
and go on down to the City for two days' high jinks. We're going to
take 'em up to the capitol and over the new bridge and we hope to
strike some kind of band music going on somewhere for 'em to hear. We
want a photygraft group of us all, too. We are going to put up at the
Teamsters' Hotel up on the Square and Mr. Hoover have got party rates.
He says he are a-going to get that seven town-broke anyway, if it costs
two acres of corn. Now won't we have a good time?" The bright face of
the prospective bride fairly radiated with joy at the prospect--Miss
Wingate could but be sympathetically involved, and Mother Mayberry
beamed with delight at the plan.

"That'll be a junket that they won't never a one of 'em forget,
Bettie!" she exclaimed with approval. "They ain't nothing in the world
so educating as travel. And you can trust a country child to see
further and hear more than any other animal on earth. I wouldn't trust
Tom to go to town now without coming back pop-eyed over the
ottermobiles," and Mother Mayberry laughed at her own fling at the
sophisticated young Doctor. Another dart of agony entered the soul of
the singer lady and this time the vision of the girl and the peony was
placed in a big, red motor-car--why red she didn't know, except the
intensity of her feelings seemed to call for that color. She was his
patient and courtesy at least demanded that he should tell her of his
intended absence. What could--

"Well, to come out with the truth," Mrs. Pratt was going on to say by
the time Miss Wingate brought herself to the point of listening again,
"it's just the wedding itself that have gave me all these squeems. Why,
Mis' Mayberry, how on earth are we a-going to parade all the seventeen
into the Meeting-house without getting the whole congregation into a
regular giggle? I don't care, 'cause I know the neighbors wouldn't give
us a mean laugh, but I can see Mr. Hoover have got the whole seventeen
sticking in his craw at the thought, and I'm downright sorry for him."

"Yes, Bettie, men have got sensitive gullets when it comes to