tt's direction, who was turning over the dirt near a rose-bush in
his close vicinity, "it don't do to pay too much attention to women's
bleeding-hearts; let alone, they'll tie 'em up in their own courage
and go on dusting around the place, while if you notice 'em too much
they take to squeezing out more bleed drops for your sympathy. Now, I
think it's best--"

"Mister Tucker, say, Mister Tucker," came in a giggle from over the
front gate as Jennie Rucker's little freckled nose appeared just above
the top plank, only slightly in advance of that of small Peggy's.
"Mis' Poteet's got a new baby, just earned, and she says she is sorry
she can't come to Mis' Viney's party; but she can't."

"Now, fly-away, ain't that too bad!" exclaimed Uncle Tucker. "That
baby oughter be sent back until it has got manners to wait until it's
wanted. Didn't neither one of you all get here on anybody's birthday
but your own." Uncle Tucker's sally was greeted by a duet of giggles,
and the announcement committee hurried on across the street with its
news.

"Tucker, you Tucker, don't you touch that snowball bush with the
spade!" came in a fresh and alarmed command from the rocker post of
observation. "You know Ma didn't ever let that bush be touched after
it had budded. You spaded around it onct when you was young and upty
and you remember it didn't bloom."

"Muster been a hundred years ago if I was ever upty about this here
flower job," he answered in an undertone to Everett as he turned his
attention to the rose-bushes at which his apprentice had been pegging
away. "At weddings and bornings and flower tending man is just a worm
under woman's feet and he might as well not even hope to turn. All he
can do is to--"

But it was just at this juncture when Uncle Tucker's patience was
about to be exhausted, that a summons from Rose Mary came for a
general getting ready for the birthday celebration.

And in a very few hours the festivities were in full swing. Miss
Lavinia sat in state in her rocker and received the offerings and
congratulations of Sweetbriar as they were presented in various
original and characteristic forms. Young Peter Rucker, still a bit
unsteady on his pink and chubby underpinning, was steered forward to
present his glossy buckeye, hung on a plaited horse-hair string that
had been constructed by small Jennie with long and infinite patience.
Miss Lavinia's commendations threw both donor and constructor into an
agony of bashful