The Road to Providence

o, with Miss Wingate beside her, sat sewing away the early hours of the morning. A tiny blue-check shirt was taking shape under

ion of one for the little adopt, and Miss Wingate's education along the line

needle. "How can you be hungry when you ate your breakfast not two

under his curl with a pathetic cast of his blue eyes, and at

ck haven't growed to his backbone. Anyway, you can't never measure a boy's food by his size. Please run and get him a glass of buttermilk and a biscuit, child, while I finish setting

ingate in dismay; "

. While you fill the boy up, I'll cut out his other legs for you to baste right this time. Take a peep around the garden before you come back to see if Spangles have got her chickens in the wet weeds. I hadn't oughter let her pretty feathers make me distrust her, but it do." And M

aby in a white sunbonnet, a toddler clung to her skirts and a small boy trailed behind her with a puppy in his arms. She was buxom and rosy, was t

nd not the day before, neither. But I put it down to a work-hold on us both, and didn't worry none. And now here you are, with some of the little fol

help her and would bring the baby on up here to get him outen the way. 'Lias come along to get you to look at his puppy's foot,

You've got the growing hand with babies, Bettie, and I'm glad you don't hold it back from

d Bettie with the utmost unconsciousness. "

her when a small, brown, crushed paw was prese

g to kill him with a gun when I get one." Tears of rage and grief welled up in 'Lias' eyes, but he

ushed. I'll tell you what to do; just take him around to Doctor Tom's office and he'll fix it in no time for you, in a way I couldn

nd drew one of his bare toes along a crack in

with both amusement and exasperation in her face.

her? Bud is going to get him to fix his next stubbed toe hisself. Bud ain't no bigger boy than you, but he knows a good doctor same as Mis' Mayberry and me does when he sees one." There are ways and ways

h of her own balancing foot, for the baby's age and backbone were both at a tender period. "I've got a kinder worry on my mind that I'd like to get a little help from you as to know what to do about. Have you noticed that both the Deacon and Mis' Bostick look mighty peaky? Course Deacon have been sick, and she ha

it out with the nursing and taking 'em complimentary dishes of truck. They is-is hung

Him and each other, she a-giving us of her bounty of sister-love, and now, when they's old and feeble, a-feeling the pinch of need. The young can r

would do the rest, but the Deacon have tooken that debt no-'count Will Bostick run off and left down in the City to pay, and it have left 'em at starvation's door. But that's neither here nor

will hide any kind of charity pill, I say. Not as what we do for her and the Deacon can ever be anything but thanks

pleasant with the men asked to come in after supper. Everything could be gave from stovewood to the Deacon some new S

it's charity, but what you don't want is just a present. We've got to find a way to do up needs in a present package for 'em. I declare, I feel right put

the blind side of them about the taking of them. The Deacon's britches is one pressing thing. Can't we tak

. "It's a heap more important to carpet the Deacon with britches than the church floor right now. Betwe

eacon pray. Patching is the most worrisome job a woman has to do, according to my mind," said the widow, with

ltitude. But a-talking here have made me sprout a idea: 'Liza Pike have blazed the trail for us, bless her little heart! Her mother don't never cook a single thing that 'Liza haven't got a dish handy to beg some for the Deacon and Mis' Bostick. And she don't stop at her own cook stove, but she's always here looking into what Cindy cooks with an eye to the old folk's sweet-tooths or chicken-hankers. I know, too, she gets what she wants from you for them, so there is our leading. The Deacon loves 'Liza, and she is such a entertainment to him t

finger or a black bruise 'fore 'Liza have done had her say about what is to be did. I believe it is as you say, Mis' Mayberry, and 'Liza

e right and wrong of it, but once found, she sticks close to the top weave. We'll plan it all out at the Sewing Circle, and then get i

up to the front gate, it would be good-by dust-pan and mop for Pattie. Not that I don't feel for her in the liking of that rampaging boy of Mis' Peavey's, and it's mighty hard not to kinder saunter into a little chat when the men folks call you. How are Miss Elinory to-day? Ain't s

most exact. Here she are now! Child, Mis' Pratt have been so complimenti

in Luther at her side. "The darling babies! You are not going, are you?" The widow and Miss Wingate had develope

e Bettie echoed as she coquetted around her mother's skirts with Miss Wingate, "

dilection for exclusiveness of design in wearing apparel. The garment in question was a very lovely, simply-cut linen affair that bore a distinguished foreign trade-mark. "I know yo

niform with the precious pink blouse, her smile belied it. She immediately ascended to her room, and returned quickly with the treasu

amed like a headlight at the thought of the successful impromptu supper party a few nights before, when Doctor Mayberry had brought Miss Wingate down upon her unexpectedly

aple syrup jug, Bettie Pratt," called Mother Mayberry af

switch of the widow's skirt. "Mother, wife and daughter love is a institution, but real sistering is a downright covenant. Me and Bettie have held one b

unt, black woman with a fire of service and devotion to Mother Mayberry in her eyes, a

s Mother Mayberry and Miss Wingate, followed by Martin Luther, ever ready to do

in, Tom," said Mother. "Yo

've had a patient and I'm puffed up with pride." As he sp

, stating the fact to Miss Wingate.

igate normally in ten days, I th

ung doctor a glance of inter-professional inquiry. "Squire Tutt," answered her son promptly. "I met him up by the store and he asked me what I would do if a man had a snake bite out

ubting mind towards a patient. Sympathy will help worry any kinder bad dose down. You know I want you to do your doctoring i

his gray eyes danced before he veiled them with

ece of bread for Martin Luther, an unnecessary attention, as she had performed that same off

pathy and-and regard of one's physician is very necessary at times and-and-" She paused, but not so mu

t prescribe it liberal when needed. Dearie me, could that shadow be a chicken-hawk? Just excuse me, children; finish your dinner while I go out and look after my feather babies." And Mother hurried

busied herself with removing the plate from under Martin Luther's yellow mop and making a pillow of her own bare arm, ag

arette, leaned his elbow on the table and sat silent for a few moments, w

hich he always addressed her striving with an unusual trace of gentle

s with one white hand, "they are so true that no wonde

denly and they were filled to

d only star patient, Teether Pike and the

on in her tones. "I came to you a broken instrument-useless for ever, perhaps-unfit for all I knew of life unless you healed me, and now-now I can make things and do things-a pie and a good one, bread to feed and the butter thereto, and to-day two halves of a pair of trou

ently into his own brown one, and placed the tip of on

to hers. "A gain of over thirty percent in red corpuscles in less than a month. Yes, I admit it; Mother is building,

thers tried I knew they would fail. The horrible thought clutched at my throat always, and there seemed no help

he laughed as he laid her ha

aringly, as she lifted Martin Luther into her arms, with a view t

better of it, took the heavy youngster out of her arms into

meadows. She hummed a waltz-song this time, and her eyes were dancing as if she were meditating some further assault on the Doctor's imperturbabi

a-contending with him over one of her little black babies. He had it in his claw, but she had him by a beak full of feathers and was a-swinging on for fare-you-well. Old Dominick was a-directing of her with squawks, and Ruffle Neck was just squatting over hers, batting her eyes with skeer, for all the world like she was a fine lady a-going into a faint. And th

eal indignation. "When are you going to h

such coward truck to you, sir," answered h

me of it?" demanded Miss Wingate, and she,

the rest she could coax out from under Dominick. Now this do settle it! Good looks don't disqualify a woman from nothing; it's

d and unexpressed, of Mrs. Spangles!" the Doctor hastened to exclaim. "Ne

may be let live, with no attention paid 'em. Now go on over to Flat Rock and stop a-wasting me and my honey-bird's time

ng glance at both his mother and Miss Wingate he took himself off in the direction of the barn

is tall figure swing down the garden path. "Good looks in a man ca

aw. One would almost call him beautiful. It isn't entirely that he is so tall and grand and has such eyes, but-do you know I think

her Mayberry with delight at the compliment. "You're a-rubbing some on me and Tom Mayb

htedly, "I know he must have

ut he mighty soon begun to sprout little pleasing ways, a-looking up under them black lashes and a-laughing acrost my breast. His cheeks was rosy, his back broad and his legs straight, same as now. He teethed easy,

onderful," said Miss Wingate, instantly sy

her curls before they laid her away, and when I come to myself I grieved over it more than I had oughter. But one day when the fall come on and the days was short and dark; and it looked like nothing couldn't light up the old house with that sunshine head gone, me almost a-feeling bitter and questioning why, Tom went out and picked up a robin's nest that had blowed down from a tree in the yard.