ne idea was to get away before she broke down completely.

Redding held the door open as she passed out. His face was cold,
calm, inscrutable; not a quiver of the mouth, not a flutter of the
lids, but the light went out of his eyes and hope died in his heart.

Mrs. Wiggs stood watching the scene in perplexity.

"I dunno what ailed Miss Lucy," she said, apologetically; "hope it
wasn't the toothache."

CHAPTER IX

HOW SPRING CAME TO THE CABBAGE PATCH

"The roads, the woods, the heavens, the hills
Are not a world to-day--
But just a place God made for us
In which to play."

WHEN the last snow of the winter had melted, and the water was no
longer frozen about the corner pump, the commons lost their hard,
brown look, and a soft green tinge appeared instead. There were not
many ways of telling when spring came to the Cabbage Patch; no trees
shook forth their glad little leaves of welcome, no anemones and
snow-drops brought the gentle message, even the birds that winged
their way from the South-land hurried by, without so much as a chirp
of greeting.

But the Cabbage Patch knew it was spring, nevertheless; something
whispered it in the air, a dozen little signs gave the secret away;
weeds were springing up in the fence corners, the puddles which a
few months ago were covered with ice now reflected bits of blue sky,
and the best token of all was the bright, warm sunshine that clung
to the earth as if to love it back into beauty and life again.

One afternoon Mrs. Wiggs stood at her gate talking to Redding. It
was the first time he had been there since Christmas day, for his
first visit had been too painful for him to desire to repeat it.

"Yes, indeed, Billy kin go," Mrs. Wiggs was saying. "I'm mighty
glad you drove him by home to git on his good coat. He never was to
the fair grounds before; it'll be a big treat. How's Mr. Dick
to-day?"

"No better," said Redding; "he coughed all night."

"He was takin' a nap o' sleep when I went to clean up this mornin',"
said Mrs. Wiggs, "so I didn't disturb him. He ain't fer long, pore
feller!"

"No, poor chap," said Redding, sadly.

Mrs. Wiggs saw the shadow on his face, and hastened to change the
subject. "What do you think of Asia's fence?" she asked.

"What about it?"

"She done it herself," said Mrs. Wiggs. "That an' the pavement, too.
Mrs. Krasmier's goat et up her flowers las' year, an' this year she
'lowed she'd fix it different. Chris Hazy