" she exclaimed, coming forward cordially. "It
sho' am, Miss Lowe! Come in, ma'am and rest yourself."

Sally's idioms savoured of darky dialect and her mountain quaintness:

"I'll brew a dish o' tea, ma'am."

Marcia Lowe refused this attention and stayed Sally by her first words.

"Miss Taber, I want you to help me out with a very difficult matter.
No one can help me--but you!"

People might think what they cared to about this stranger from Trouble
Neck--the men still distrusted her--but the women were rapidly being
won to her.

"I 'low you can count on me, ma'am. I says to myself often, says
I--Sally Taber, jes' so long as you can make a friend or do a
'commodation job, you is useful to de community--when yo'
can't--why--den!" And with that Sally gave a "pouf!" as if blowing
away a feather.

Marcia Lowe could not keep her eyes from the shining, greased lips; she
was becoming acquainted with mountain peculiarities, but she was
perplexed by the neat Sally's daubed face.

"It's about--Miss Walden," she said softly, moving her chair closer to
Sally.

"What's happened 'long o' her?" An anxious look crept into Sally's
eyes.

"I fear--she is not exactly right."

"It's in the family," Sally murmured; "when things go awry 'long o'
them, they jes' naturally take to queerness. The ole general, Miss
Ann's father, he done think he was God-a'mighty, long toward the last.
I kin see him now a-coming up The Way blessing us-all. They ain't none
o' them dangerous, jes' all around cracked, ma'am."

"But the little girl, Miss Taber, she ought not to be alone there with
Miss Walden. You see I have studied medicine and I know--it is
dangerous and--it mustn't be. See here! I cannot do anything without
making more trouble. I'm not one of them, but you could go and--well,
just take control! Say that you--need shelter and help--you know Miss
Walden would do anything for her friends; put it that way and
then"--here Marcia Lowe laid some money in the old shrivelled hands,
"there will always be money for you to buy what is necessary for the
comfort of you all."

The keen eyes glittered, and the quick mind was caught by the subtlety
of the suggestion. Here was a chance to play great lady; to return
favours that long had been conferred upon her, and at the same time
retain her respectability and dignity. It was a master stroke and
Marcia Lowe felt a glow of self-appreciation.

"You can care for her, Miss Taber; you ca