ase with which
the battle had been won.

"I will," he answered, "only don't let Mother tease me, please!"

At which pathetically ingenuous demand the conquering singer lady
tossed him the rose and laughed long and merrily.

"You and your Mother are perfect--" she was observing with delighted
dimples, when Mother Mayberry herself stood in the doorway with
well-concealed eagerness as to the outcome of the mission, in her face.

"Well," she observed with a laugh, "I'm glad to see somebody that has
time to stand-around, set-around, passing the news of the day. Did you
all know that Bettie Pratt were a-going to get married in about two
hours and a half?"

"We did," answered her son as he drew her a chair close to that of Miss
Wingate. "We were just discussing in what garb we could best grace the
occasion. Did you succeed in getting Mrs. Tutt to change her mind about
honoring the festivities?"

"Oh, yes, she just wanted to be persuaded some. It's a mighty dried-up
mind that can't leaf out in a change onct in a while, and it's mostly
men folks that take a notion, then petrify to stone in it. But you all
oughter see what is a-going on down the Road."

"What?" they both demanded of her at the same second.

"It's that 'Liza Pike again. Just as soon as that child hatches a idea,
the whole town takes to helping her feather it out. She got Mis'
Bostick's bed moved to the front window, and then found that Nath
Mosbey's fence kept her from seeing the Road where the procession are
a-going into the Meeting-house yard. But that didn't down her none at
all, for when I left she had Nath and Buck and Mr. Petway a-knocking
down the two panels of fence, and leaving Mis' Bostick a clean sweep of
view, Did you ever?" and mother Mayberry chuckled over the small
sister's triumph over what to the rest of Providence would have seemed
an insurmountable obstacle.

"It's just like her, the darling!" exclaimed the singer lady
appreciatively.

"And she have got the Deacon all tucked out until he is a sight to
behold. She have made Mis' Peavey starch his white tie until it sets
out on both sides like cat whiskers, and have pinned a bokay on his
coat 'most as big as the bride's. Then she have reached his forelock up
on his head so he looks like Martin Luther, and she have got him
a-settin' down, so as not to get out of gear none. Mis' Bostick is
a-wearing a little white rose pinned on her night-gown, and they is
honeysuckle trailed all over t