ardie!" said Sue. "I heard you snifferling and
getting up for your hank'chief; but I didn't speak 'cause it's so
dreadful to be _catched_ crying."

"Kneel down beside me and give me part of your cape," her mother
answered. "I'm going to let my sad heart fly right out of the window
into those beautiful trees."

"And maybe a glad heart will fly right in!" the child suggested.

"Maybe.--Oh! we must cuddle close and be still; Elder Gray's going to
sit down under the great maple; and do you see, all the Brothers seem to
be up early this morning, just as we are?"

"More love, Elder Gray!" called Issachar, on his way to the tool-house.

"More love, Brother Issachar!"

"More love, Brother Ansel!"

"More love, Brother Calvin!"

"More love!" "More love!" "More love!" So the quaint but not uncommon
Shaker greeting passed from Brother to Brother; and as Tabitha and
Martha and Rosetta met on their way to dairy and laundry and seed-house,
they, too, hearing the salutation, took up the refrain, and Susanna and
Sue heard again from the women's voices that beautiful morning wish,
"More love!" "More love!" speeding from heart to heart and lip to lip.

Mother and child were very quiet.

"More love, Sue!" said Susanna, clasping her closely.

"More love, Mardie!" whispered the child, smiling and entering into the
spirit of the salutation. "Let's turn our heads Farnham way! I'll take
Jack and you take Fardie, and we'll say togedder, 'More love'; shall
we?"

"More love, John."

"More love, Jack."

The words floated out over the trees in the woman's trembling voice and
the child's treble.

"Elder Gray looks tired though he's just got up," Sue continued.

"He is not strong," replied her mother, remembering Brother Ansel's
statement that the Elder "wa'n't diseased anywheres, but didn't have no
durability."

"The Elder would have a lovely lap," Sue remarked presently.

"_What?_"

"A nice lap to sit in. Fardie has a nice lap, too, and Uncle Joel
Atterbury, but not Aunt Louisa; she lets you slide right off; it's a
bony, hard lap. I love Elder Gray, and I climbed on his lap one day. He
put me right down, but I'm sure he likes children. I wish I could take
right hold of his hand and walk all over the farm, but he wouldn't let
me, I s'pose.--_More love, Elder Gray!_" she cried suddenly, bobbing up
above the window-sill and shaking her fairy hand at him.

The Elder looked up at the sound of the glad voice. No human creature
c