ed animal. But, dearie
me, I never got a single tear shed, for there were Mis' Peavey with
Buck in her arms, shaking him upside down to get out a brass button he
hadn't swallowed. By the time we poured him full of hot mustard water
and the button fell outen his little apron pocket, I had done got my
grip on myself."

"I just can't stand it that you had to let him go," Miss Wingate both
laughed and sobbed.

"Yes, but I ain't told you about the commencement, honey-bird. There's
that tear _I_ didn't get to drop a-splashing outen your eyes on the
doll's hat! That day was the most grandest thing that ever happened to
anybody's mother, anywhere in this world. I didn't think I could go to
see him get the diplomy, for with all his saving ways and working hard
in the summer, it had been a pull to make buckle and tongue meet and
there just wasn't nothing left for me to buy no stylish clothes to
wear. I set here a-worrying over it, not that I minded, but it was hard
on the boy to have to make his step-off in life and his mother not be
there to see. And somehow I felt as if it would hurt Pa Lovell and
Doctor Mayberry for me not to be with him. Then with thinking of Pa
Lovell a sudden idea popped into my head. There was Seliny Lue Lovell
right down to the Bluff, on the road to town, and with Aunt Lovell's
fine black silk dress packed away in the trunk, as good as new, and me
and Seliny Lue of almost the same figger as her mother. That just
settled the question and I got up and washed out my water-waves in a
little bluing water to make 'em extra white, dabbed buttermilk on my
face to get off some of the tan and called over Mis' Peavey and Mis'
Pike to let 'em know. The next morning I started off gay with everybody
there to see and sending messages to Tom."

"Wasn't it fortunate you thought of the dress and lovely for you to be
able to go right by and get it!" exclaimed Miss Wingate, her eyes as
bright as Mother Mayberry's and her cheeks pink with excitement as the
tale began to unfold its dramatic length.

"Yes, and Seliny Lue was glad enough to see me! We laughed and talked
half the night, was up early, and she took a time to rig me out. It is
a stiff black silk, as anybody would be proud of, cut liberal with real
lace collar and cuffs. Seliny Lue said I looked fine in it. I wisht she
could have gone with me, but they wasn't room for both of us inside the
dress." And Mother laughed merrily at the memory of her borrowing
escapad