too precious to be
shattered. The country girl had written a long letter to the city girl,
telling of the decision to give up the music lessons. "My dear, dear
friend," she wrote frankly, "you tried to keep me from being hurt, but I
wouldn't see. How I must have worried you and how foolish I was! I know
better now. I do not regret my winter in the city and I do appreciate
all you did for me, but I am happy to be back on the farm again. I'm
afraid I tried to be an American Beauty rose when I was meant to be just
some ordinary wild flower like the daisy or even the common yarrow. I
owe so much to you. We must always be friends."

One day in late summer Phoebe fairly radiated joy as she hurried up the
hill and ran down the road to the garden where Mother Bab was gathering
larkspur seeds.

"Oh, Mother Bab, I've such good news about Granny Hogendobler and Old
Aaron!"

"Come in, tell me!"

"I've been to town and stopped to see Granny. You know Old Aaron and
their boy Nason fell out years ago about something the boy said about
the flag and was too stubborn to take back."

"Yes, I know."

"It was foolishness on the part of the father, of course, for he should
have known boys say things they don't mean. Well, the two kept on acting
all these years like strangers. The old man grew bitter. Last year when
the boys went to Mexico he said that if he had a son instead of a
blockhead he'd be sending a boy to do his share down there. It almost
killed him to think of his boy sitting back while others went and
defended the flag. Well, Granny said yesterday she was in the yard and
she heard the gate click. She didn't pay any attention for she knew Old
Aaron was in the front yard under the arbor. But then she heard a cry
and ran to see, and there was Old Aaron with his arms around a big
fellow dressed in a soldier uniform, and when the man turned his head it
was Nason! Granny said it was the greatest day in their lives and paid
up for all the unhappy days when Old Aaron was cross and said mean
things about Nason. Nason had just a day to stay, but they made a day of
it. Granny said, 'I-to-goodness, but we had a time! Aaron wanted to kill
a chicken, for Nason likes chicken so much, but I knew that Aaron was so
excited he'd like as not only cripple the poor thing, so I said I'd kill
it while they talked. I made stuffing with onions in, like Nason likes,
and I had just baked a snitz pie and I tell you we had a good dinner.
But I bet th