or a moment stood aghast at the
idea of the misanthrope's descent upon happy Bettie with even this long
distance shadow to cast across her joy, but dealing with her neighbor
for years had sharpened her wits and she knew that a sense of fair play
was one of Mrs. Peavey's redeeming traits that could always be counted
upon.

"Yes, I reckon that are so," she answered grudgingly. "Then we'll have
to keep the bad news to tell her when she gets back from the trip. Did
you know that spangled Wyandotte hen have deserted all them little
chickens and is a-laying again out in the weeds behind the barn? Told
you them foreign poultry wasn't no good," with which she disappeared
behind the top stone of the wall.

"Poor Spangles! she carried them chickens a week longer than could be
expected and now don't get no credit for it," said Mother Mayberry, as
the singer lady gave vent to the giggle she had been suppressing for a
good many minutes. "Now run on, sweet child, and use them beguilements
on Tom for me, while I go try to rub some liniment on Mis' Tutt's
conscience. Fill up Martin Luther sometime soon, will you?"

And in accordance with directions, after a few minutes spent before
Mother Mayberry's old-fashioned mirror in tucking three very perfect
red-musk buds in the belt of her white linen gown, the singer lady
descended upon the unwitting victim, in the north wing and began the
machinations according to promise. Doctor Mayberry, unfortunately for
him, showed extravagant signs of delight at the very sight of the
enemy, for it was almost the first voluntary visit she had ever paid
him, and thus he gave her the advantage to start with.

"You aren't busy, are you?" she asked as she glanced around the
book-lined room and into the laboratory beyond. "This is only a
semi-professional consultation. Could I stay just a few minutes?" and
the lift of her dark lashes from her eyes was most effectively unfair.
As she spoke she settled herself in his chair, while he leaned against
the table looking down upon her with a very shy delight in his gray
eyes and a very decided color in his tan cheeks.

"As long as you will," he answered. "I never can prescribe from a
hurried consultation. It always takes several hours for me to locate
anything. I'm very slow, you know."

"Why, I rather thought you treated your patients with--with very little
time spent in consultation," a remark which she, herself, knew to be a
dastardly manoeuver. "You attend