ie?"

"Yes, I reckon I'll have to wait till then, and I'll tell you sure,
Rose Mamie, when I do find out. I won't never forget it, but I hope
maybe Tobe won't get into no more mess from now till then. Please come
find the britches for me!" And consoled thus against his will the
General followed Rose Mary to the house and into their room, eager for
the relief and rehabiting of the prisoner.

And in a few minutes the scene of the _amende honorable_ between
little Miss Amanda and the small boys was enacted out on the back
steps, well out of sight and hearing of Miss Lavinia. A new bond was
instituted between the little old lady, who was tremulous with
eagerness to keep the culprit from any form of self-reproach, and
Tobe, the unfortunate, who was one of her most ardent admirers at all
times. And it was sealed by a double handful of tea-cakes to both
offenders.

After she had watched the boys disappear in the direction of the barn,
intent on making a great clean-up job of the disaster under Miss
Amanda's direction, Rose Mary wended her way to the garden for a
precious hour of communion with her flowers and vegetable nursery
babies. She had just tucked up her skirts and started in with a light
hoe when she espied Uncle Tucker coming slowly up Providence Road from
the direction of the north woods. Something a bit dejected in his step
and a slightly greater stoop in his shoulders made her throw down her
weapon of war on the weeds and come to lean over the wall to wait for
him.

"What's the matter, old Sweetie--tired?" she demanded as he came
alongside and leaned against the wall near her. His big gray eyes were
troubled and there was not the sign of the usual quizzical smile. The
forelock hung down in a curl from under the brim of the old gray hat
and the lavender muffler swung at loose ends. As he lighted the old
cob his lean brown hands trembled slightly and he utterly refused to
look into Rose Mary's eyes. "What is it, honey-heart?" she demanded
again.

"What's what, Rose Mary?" asked Uncle Tucker with a slight rift in the
gloom. "They are some women in the world, if a man was to seal up his
trouble in a termater-can and swoller it, would get a button-hook and
a can-opener to go after him to get it out. You belong to that
persuasion."

"I want to be the tomato-can--and not be 'swollered'," answered Rose
Mary as she reached over and gently removed the tattered gray roof
from off the white shock and began to smooth a