guest at such a feast.

When John returned with the laden tray, Mary was holding a little levee,
and her sparkling eyes and happy smile told of rested nerves and brain
refreshed. "For so He giveth to His beloved while they are sleeping."
The minister had come up to shake hands with her and tell her that he
had missed her face from the congregation. Sidney had brought his bride
over and introduced her, and Mary was getting a near view of the violet
dress. Her spirits mounted as she ate the delicious food Aunt Tabby had
selected for her. She was surprised to find that she could look at the
stripes in Ellen McElrath's shirt waist without wanting to cry, and when
the meal was over she insisted on helping to clear off the tables.

"My goodness!" said Aunt Tabby McElrath, as she placed in her basket the
remains of her bread, ham, chicken, pickles, cake, pie, and jelly. "It
looks to me like there'd been another miracle of the loaves and fishes,
for I'm surely takin' home more'n I brought here. What a pity there
ain't some poor family around here that we could give all this good food
to."

"I don't know as we'd be called a poor family," said Sally McElrath,
"but if you've got more than you know what to do with, just hand it over
to me. It'll save me from cookin' supper to-night."

"Yes, Aunt Tabby," said Dan, "don't be afraid to offer us some of the
leavin's. Jest cut me a slab o' that jelly-cake and one or two slices o'
your good bread. I ain't forgot the supper I had last May Meetin'
Sunday. Sally had a sick headache and couldn't cook a thing, and all I
could find in the basket was a pickle and a hard boiled egg."

There was a general laugh, in which Sally joined heartily. Aunt Tabby
made generous contributions from her basket to Sally's, Dan watching the
operation with hungry eyes, and then she looked around for a convenient
tree trunk against which she might rest her ample back and bear a part
in the general conversation.

In rural communities the church is the great social center. After the
period of worship, though the hours are God's own, it is not deemed a
profanation of the day to spend a little time in friendly intercourse,
and only the unregenerate youth of the congregation consider it a
hardship to listen to a second sermon in the afternoon.

"Now look yonder, will you?" exclaimed an elderly matron; "them young
folks are fixin' to go off ridin' instead of stayin' to second service.
You, Percival! You, Matty!