orstep
feeding some little turkeys.

"Come in, David. I suppose you're after M'ri's waist. Thar's jest a
few stitches to take, and I'll hev it done in no time."

He followed her into the little house, which consisted of a sitting
room "with bedroom off," and a kitchen whose floor was sand scoured;
the few pieces of tinware could be used as mirrors. Miss Rhody seated
herself by the open window and began to ply her needle. She did not
sew swiftly and smoothly, in feminine fashion, but drew her
long-threaded needle through the fabric in abrupt and forceful jerks.
A light breeze fluttered in through the window, but it could not
ruffle the wisp-locked hair that showed traces of a water-dipped comb
and was strained back so taut that a little mound of flesh encircled
each root. Her eyes were bead bright and swift moving. Everything
about her, to the aggressively prominent knuckles, betokened energy
and industry. She was attired in a blue calico shortened by many
washings, but scrupulously clean and conscientiously starched. Her
face shone with soap and serenity.

Miss Rhody's one diversion in a busy but monotonous life was news. She
was wretched if she did not receive the latest bulletins; but it was
to her credit that she never repeated anything that might work harm or
mischief. David was one of her chosen confidants. He was a safe
repository of secrets, a sympathetic listener, and a wise suggester.

"I'm glad M'ri's hevin' a blue waist. She looks so sweet in blue. I've
made her clo'es fer years. My, how I hoped fer to make her weddin'
clo'es onct! It wuz a shame to hev sech a good match spiled. It wuz
too bad she hed to hev them two chillern on her hands--"

"And now she has a third," was what David thought he read in her eyes,
and he hastened to assert: "I am going to help all I can, and I'll
soon be old enough to take care of myself."

"Land sakes, David, you'd be wuth more'n yer keep to any one. I
wonder," she said ruminatingly, "if Martin Thorne will wait for her
till Janey's growed up."

"Martin Thorne!" exclaimed David excitedly. "Judge Thorne? Why, was he
the one--"

"He spent his Sunday evenings with her," she asserted solemnly.

In the country code of courtships this procedure was conclusive proof,
and David accepted it as such.

"He wuz jest plain Lawyer Thorne when he wuz keepin' company with
M'ri, but we all knew Mart wuz a comin' man, and M'ri wuz jest proud
of him. You could see that, and he wuz so