uette.

"Your mother said your hens weren't laying," she said.

The boy's eyes brightened.

"Thank you, Miss M'ri; these will come in good. Our hens won't lay nor
set. Mother says they have formed a union. But I 'most forgot to tell
you--when I came past Winterses, Ziny told me to ask you to come over
as soon as you could."

"I suppose Zine has got one of her low spells," said Barnabas Brumble,
who had just come up from the barn. "Most likely Bill's bin gittin'
tight agin. He--"

"Oh, no!" interrupted his sister hastily. "Bill has quit drinking."

"Bill's allers a-quittin'. Trouble with Bill is, he can't stay quit. I
see him yesterday comin' down the road zig-zaggin' like a rail fence.
Fust she knows, she'll hev to be takin' washin' to support him.
Sometimes I think 't would be a good idee to let him git sent over the
road onct. Mebby 't would learn him a lesson--"

He stopped short, noticing the significant look in M'ri's eyes and the
two patches of color spreading over David's thin cheeks. He recalled
that four years ago the boy's father had died in state prison.

"You'd better go right over to Zine's," he added abruptly.

"I'll wait till after dinner. We'll have it early."

"Hev it now," suggested Barnabas.

"Now!" ejaculated David. "It's only half-past ten."

"I could eat it now jest as well as I could at twelve," argued the
philosophical Barnabas. "Jest as leaves as not."

There were no iron-clad rules in this comfortable household,
especially when Pennyroyal, the help, was away.

"All right," assented M'ri with alacrity. "If I am going to do
anything, I like to do it right off quick and get it over with. You
stay, David, if you can eat dinner so early."

"Yes, I can," he assured her, recalling his scanty breakfast and the
freezer of cream that was to furnish the dessert. "I'll help you get
it, Miss M'ri."

He brought a pail of water from the well, filled the teakettle, and
then pared the potatoes for her.

"When will Jud and Janey get their dinner?" he asked Barnabas.

"They kerried their dinner to-day. The scholars air goin' to hev a
picnic down to Spicely's grove. How comes it you ain't to school,
Dave?"

"I have to help my mother with the washing," he replied, a slow flush
coming to his face. "She ain't strong enough to do it alone."

"What on airth kin you do about a washin', Dave?"

"I can draw the water, turn the wringer, hang up the clothes, empty
the tubs, fetch and carry the was