V.

"I do declare, 't was like a scene in Scriptur' to see that poor
good-hearted Nancy Fell run down her walk to open the gate for us!"
said Mrs. Persis Flagg later that afternoon, when she and Miss Pickett
were going home in the stage. Miss Pickett nodded her head
approvingly.

"I had a good sight better time with her than I should have had at the
other place," she said with fearless honesty. "If I'd been Mis' Cap'n
Timms, I'd made some apology or just passed us the compliment. If it
wa'n't convenient, why couldn't she just tell us so after all her
urgin' and say in' how she should expect us?"

"I thought then she'd altered from what she used to be," said
Mrs. Flagg. "She seemed real sincere an' open away from home. If she
wa'n't prepared to-day, 't was easy enough to say so; we was
reasonable folks, an' should have gone away with none but friendly
feelin's. We did have a grand good time with Nancy. She was as happy
to see us as if we'd been queens."

"'T was a real nice little dinner," said Miss Pickett gratefully. "I
thought I was goin' to faint away just before we got to the house, and
I didn't know how I should hold out if she undertook to do anything
extra, and keep us a-waitin'; but there, she just made us welcome,
simple-hearted, to what she had. I never tasted such dandelion greens;
an' that nice little piece o' pork and new biscuit, why, they was just
splendid. She must have an excellent good cellar, if 't is such a
small house. Her potatoes was truly remarkable for this time o' year.
I myself don't deem it necessary to cook potatoes when I'm goin' to
have dandelion greens. Now, didn't it put you in mind of that verse in
the Bible that says, 'Better is a dinner of herbs where love is'? An'
how desirous she'd been to see somebody that could tell her some
particulars about the conference!"

"She'll enjoy tellin' folks about our comin' over to see her. Yes, I'm
glad we went; 't will be of advantage every way, an' our bein' of the
same church an' all, to Woodville. If Mis' Timms hears of our bein'
there, she'll see we had reason, an' knew of a place to go. Well, I
needn't have brought this old bag!"

Miss Pickett gave her companion a quick resentful glance, which was
followed by one of triumph directed at the dust that was collecting on
the shoulders of the best black cashmere; then she looked at the bag
on the front seat, and suddenly felt illuminated with the suspicion
that Mrs. Flagg had secretly ma