The Road to Providence

or us all, in His good time; maybe not until in His kingdom. I hold that fact in my heart always," said M

her needle. "But I was just thinking about Mrs. Bostick and wishing-oh! I wish we could in some way bring her son back to her before it is too late. Yesterday afternoon w

ity for a woman. I'll find a lone blossom and she a little bunch. I'm praying in my heart that Will's a stunted plant that'll bloom late, but in time to be sheathed in with the rest. But bless your sweet feeling-heart, child, and let's keep the smile on our faces for her comfort! Woman must bend and not break under a sorrow load. Take some of them calcanthuses to her when you go down for one of them foreign junkets and ask her to tell you about them little folks of her'n. Start her on the little girl that favored the Deacon and cut off all his forelock with the scissors while

garden hat in the other, she espied young Eliza rapidly approaching from up the Road and there was excitement in every movement

sent one to Pattie and wrote what was on the card. I've been so scared I am in the trembles now, but you said always pray to the Lord and I did it while I was a-running down to the store to beg Mr. Petway not to make her jump off from

erry, with almost as much excitement in her voice as was trembling in that of the small talking machin

she's a-going to marry Mr. Petway, only she won't know

from the depths of her astonishment as she sank back in

see, remember me,' on a card and put it in the box. I carried it over to her for him and Mr. Hoover jest laughed, and said Buck meant Pattie didn't keep her face clean. But Mis' Hoover hugged Pattie and whispered something to her a

ck and Pattie is most interesting, but I'm waiting to hear about your Aunt Prissy and Mr. Petwa

curlycues the Deacon taught him, before he got one to suit him and he left one on the counter, right

ry, looking over her glasses in some perturbation as t

pink and pleased and loving looking as Pattie were and Maw was a-joking of her like Mis' Pratt-no, Hoover-did Pattie and all of a sudden I knewed it were them bad boys, 'cause I seen 'em laughing in a way I knows is badness. Oh, then I was so skeered I couldn't swoller something in my throat

nd inflicted on the delicacy of the child, and the tale began to assume serious proportions in her mind as she thought of the probable res

was right white, they was so skeered by that time. Then I told him all about it and begged him to let Aunt Prissy have the box of soap and think he sent it, so her feelings wouldn't get hurted. I told him I would give him my seventy-five cents from picking peas to pay for it and that Aunt Prissy

hat was positively weak from anxiety and suppressed mirth at

ck and laughed too, but I didn't know what at. Then he told me that he didn't ever want Aunt Prissy to know about them bad boys' foolish

sure?" asked Mother Mayberry, beginning to beam wi

hey ain't never anybody a-going to tell anybody else about it. He made them boys cross they hearts and bodies not to. I didn't cross mine 'cause I knew I had to tell you, but I do it now." And Eliza

you and me do it to this one. And, child, I want to tell you that you did the right thing all along this line,

er to-night and I promised to keep Paw outen the way for him, 'cause Paw WILL get away from Maw and come talk crops with him sometimes on the

e raven have actually begun to sprout cupid wings," she said to herself as she went around the corner of the house toward the Doctor's office. "Co'ting are a bombshell

hall into his office where he found his Mother sitting in his chair by the table. He smiled in a dejecte

ess striving in glance and tone. "You've been a-going around like a dropped-wing young rooster with a touch of mal

ingate-and I'm too much of a coward to tell her. I feel sure now that she'll never be able to use her voice any more than she can in the sp

ew she was praying. "The Lord's will be done," she said at last in her deep, quiet voice, and she la

o release the muscles and start life in the nerves that control the vocal chords. In the two other cases with which I have succeeded the response was immediate after the first operation. Now I dare not risk another tear of the muscles. One reason I didn't tell her is that I ha

Mother understands," his

walked to the window. "It is only fair. Shall I or you tell her?

oman open her arms, take a burden to her heart and start on a long journey up to the Master's everlasting hills? Sometimes it have been disgrace, or a lifelong loneliness, or her man hunted out into the night by the law. I have laid still-born children into my sisters' arms, and I've washe

?" he asked, with the suffering drawing his young face into stern, hard lines. "But

her heart this day. Now, I'm a-going down Providence Road to meet her and I know the Lord will help me to the right words when the

e comforted and fortified herself with snatches of prayer for the journey through the deep waters, on which she was to lead this child of her affection. After the last tangl

mall store of happenings to recount to her sympathetic neighbors as they found time and opportunity. The rosy rollicking youngster she had perched on her shoulder and held him steadily thus exalted by his pair of sturdy, milk-fed legs. Martin Luther, as usual, clung to her skirts, Susie Pike danced on before her and the Deacon was walking slowly along at her side, carefully carrying th

put them this day. Never before, I feel, have they had fit rendition. While I line the verse, sing them again to Sister Mayberry, child, that her ears may be rejoiced with mine." And Mother Mayberry c

ly, holy,

in three

rses to its final

essential

ternal

ther chuckled and nozzled at Mother Mayberry's shoulder. "I must go on back to sit with Mrs. Bostick and will

ease give him his milk right away, for it's past time, and she will come in a few minute

artin Luther quickly, having no intenti

realizing fully the influence the lovely woman had thrown over the hearts of the simple Providence folk and the greatness of her own nature was making her

d save the spirit of Providence Nob, which brooded down over them in a wisp of cloud across its sun-reddened top, "here's the place and time and heart strength to tell you that your Lord

to the eyes and swayed back against the vi

your losing the speaking voice what you have got so beautiful. If they is any love and pity in my heart after I have stopped giving it to you I'm going to pour some out on

the tragedy-stricken young Doctor's mother straight in the face, with he

rehensive joy rising above the sorrow in her eyes. "I reckon I can trust him with you, but if you nee

r or more with his face in his hands when he suddenly found himself clasped in soft arms and his eyes pressed close against a bare white throat and a most wonderful dove voice was murmuring happy, comforting

e don't you!" she pleaded with he

ars of hard work was to give the music back to you-" and

y, and as she spoke she lifted his head in her hands and waited

r close over her heart and held him so an instant. "Does it matter that only you will ever hear the song, dear?"

th his arms in the air and let them sink slowly to his side. "We'll have this question out right he

worn that she had to harden her heart against him to be abl

st listen to every word I say, for I am gett

u that I can't help loving you, and have ever since I first saw you, but that it won't do at all for you to marry-ma

t-oh, I'm very frightened, but I must say it! I wouldn't blame you or your Mother for not wanting me at all. I-I somehow, I don't seem very great-or real to myself here in Providence. My training has been all to one end-useless now-and I'm all u

t met her heroics. He stood and looked her full in the eyes with a calm radiance in his face that reminded her of the dawn-light she had seen that morning come over

-" By this time she had got much nearer and her voice trailed off in

d remember the custards," she finished from somewhere in the region of his collar. "Now that we've bot

e wanted her to see. But from the depths of her heart she understood and pressed closer to him as she gave him a long silence in which to recove

ng to suggest in the smallest of voices in which was both mirth

him and welcome if you can put up with him. He's like Mis' Peavey always says of her own jam; 'Plenty of it such as it is and good enough what they is of it.' A real slow-horse love ca

irl?" demanded the singer lady, as she came into the circle of Mothe

zzled tone of voice. "I seem to understand yo

s peony in it," she whispered, but not so low that the Doctor, who

revelation of the fact of his Mother's indulgence in personal reminiscence, "I reckon Miss Alford'll be mighty disappointed to lose him, but I don't know no

exclaimed

d glance at him from his Mother's shoulder that

hes out two birds in far apart nests just to give 'em wing-strength to fly acrost river and hill to find each other. You both kinder wandered foreign som