on this
one of Tom's. You see you must begin with long cross stitches in
the--Now what's all this a-coming!" And Mother Mayberry rose, looked
down the Road and hurried to the sidewalk with the darning bag under
her arm and her thimble still on her finger.

Up the middle of the Road came, in a body, the entire juvenile
population of Providence at a break-neck speed and farther down the
street they were followed by Deacon Bostick, coming as fast as his
feeble old legs would bring him. Eliza Pike headed the party with
Teether hitched high up en her arm and Martin Luther clinging to her
short blue calico skirt. They all drew up in a semicircle in front of
Mother Mayberry and Miss Wingate and looked at Eliza expectantly. On
all occasions of excitement Eliza was both self-constituted and
unanimously appointed spokesman. On this occasion she began in the
dramatic part of the news without any sort of preamble.

"It's a circus," she said breathlessly, "a-moving over from Bolivar to
Springfield and nelephants and camels and roar-lions and tigers and
Mis' Pratt and Deacon and Mr. Hoover and everybody is a-going over to
watch it pass--and we can't--we can't!" Her voice broke into a wail,
which was echoed by a sob and a howl from across the street just inside
the Pike gate, where Bud and Susie pressed their forlorn little bodies
against the palings and looked out on the world with the despair of the
incarcerated in their eyes.

"Why can't you?" demanded Mother.

"Oh, Maw have gone across the Nob to Aunt Elviry's and left Susie May
and Bud being punished. They can't go outen the gate and I ain't
a-going to no circus with my little brother and sister being punished,
and I won't let Billy and Ez go either." By this time the whole group
was in different stages of grief, for the viewing of a circus without
the company of Eliza Pike had the flavor of dead sea fruit in all their
small mouths. From the heart in Eliza's small bosom radiated the force
that vivified the lives of the whole small-fry congregation, and a
circus not seen through her eyes would be but a dreary vision.

"Now ain't that too bad!" said Mother Mayberry with compassion and
irritation striving in her voice. "What did they do and just what did
she say?"

"Susie hurted Aunt Prissy's feelings, by taking the last biscuit when
they wasn't one left for her, and Maw said she would have to stay in
the yard until she learned to be kind and respectful to Paw's sister,
She