Miss Gibbie Gault

pork, and two eggs' worth of pepper, and five eggs' worth of

re carefully taken out of a basket looked confidently in Mr. Blick's face, and a red litt

y apart from its fellows. "That's the one, Mr. Blick. No, not that one-/that/ one!" and the finger was pre

very biggest in the jar, and such a wicked-looki

t the sound of the voic

it's you. I thought i

yo

le group, laughed also. Miss Cary turned toward him. "This is Peggy, John-my little friend, Peggy McDougal. Wipe your

ld out to her, then advanced toward the man, still sta

ace before her. "I know about you. Muther says you used to live in Yorkburg, but your muther didn't like it.

do like Yorkburg, and I hope to come again." He laughed amusedly in the upturned ey

s bigger,

ger. But I don't believe the

ore here

w m

e last one was a girl, which would have made us even, but it died. Billy give it a piece of watermelon rind to play with and it et

bite wouldn't give anybody's stomach a pain. Oh, Miss Mary, you ain't Miss Lizzie Bettie Pryor. Please don't te

not to ask for another for a long, long time? They are almost poisonous. Mr. Blick, I wish you wouldn't

t like they was, Mary Cary, and if you don't sell what people want to buy, they'll buy f

imes, for if we don't stand up we set down, and folks walk right along over us and don't know we're there. I don't approve of pickle, or cocoanut, either, as for that"-he tapped a jar filled with water, in which soaked broken pieces of the fruit of

is waiting for her. You give her what she ca

ey would be meted out, grew as interested as Peggy, whose shrewd little eyes had so early been trained in weights and measurements that she could tell quickly the number of eggs re

they been born to celebrate their birthday, but suppin' always happened; somebody was sick, or Wash and Jeff been fightin', so she couldn't in conscience give 'em a party. But the last time 'twas her fault-she mashed her finger; so she say she thinks she'll have it now if'n it is May 'stead

in puzzled inquiry. "In the name of chicken-science, what is

ghed, running her hand through a peck measure of black-eyed p

uke lays the eggs?

ed. Her roosters, also. But having few roosters and admiring many men, she bestows on her lady chickens the names of distinguished gentlemen. It's her o

he called-"Peggy, come here and te

nding. The top end of the precious pickle had been bitten off, and Peggy's face, wrinkled in dis

he is goin' to give it to the boys is because they was born the same day the United States was. They'll be nine on the Fourth of July and the United States will be-" She shook her head. "I don't know how old the United States is, but muther say being born when they was, an

dried her throat, which needed moistening. Ducking her head, she bit off the ot

hest, and you can chew 'em longest. The other children get the middle," and she put said middle carefully between

y will ruin you. They really will. But run along and tell your mot

is boys. But I reckon it will be about four o'clock, and she thinks Friday will be the day. If muther can get 'em all washed and keep the lemon

denly remembering, and came back to the man still s

have you come, too," s

did you say

d again the h

whether muther knows you or not, but if you was Satan himself she