nd Hannah snivelling in the kitchen.

"It's that woman," Tish said. "When I think of the things I've done for
them, and the way I've headed lists and served church suppers and made
potato salad and packed barrels, it makes me sick."

Aggie sat down beside her and put a hand on her knee.

"I know, Tish," she said. "Mr. Wiggins was set on going to the Spanish
war. He said that he could not shoot, but that he would be valuable as
an observer, from church towers and things, because he was used to being
in the air. He would have gone, too, but----"

"If he goes," Tish said, "he will never come back. I know it. I've known
it ever since I ran over that black cat the other day."

Well, we had to leave her, as Aggie was buying wool for the Army and
Navy League. We went out, very low in our minds. What was our surprise,
therefore, on returning late that afternoon, to find Tish cheerfully
hoeing in the garden she had planted in the vacant lot next door, while
Hannah followed her and gathered up in a basket the pieces of brick,
broken bottles and buried bones that Tish unearthed.

"You poor dear!" Aggie said, going toward her. "I know just how you
feel. I----"

"Get out!" Tish yelled, in a furious tone. "Look what you're doing!
Great heavens, don't you see what you've done? That was a potato
plant."

We tried to get out, although I could see nothing but a few weeds, but
she yelled at us every moment and at last I gave it up.

"I'd rather stay here, Tish," I said, "if you don't mind. I can keep the
dogs away, and along in the autumn, when it's safe to move, you can take
me home, or put me in a can, along with the other garden stuff."

Here Tish fired a brick at Hannah's basket, but struck her in the knee
cap instead, and down she went on what Tish said was six egg plants. In
the resulting conversation I escaped, and went up to Tish's sitting
room.

Tish followed us soon after, and jerked the window shades to the top.

"There's nothing like getting close to nature," she said. "I feel like a
different woman, after an hour or so of the soil."

She then took Hannah's basket and placed it on the window-sill
overlooking the vacant lot, explaining that she used its contents to
fling at dogs, cats and birds below.

"It makes a little extra work for Hannah," she commented. "But it's
making a new woman of her. It would be good for you, too, Lizzie.
There's nothing like bending over to reduce the abdomen."

But Aggie, having