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 made preparations to pass the night in

Baxter. The bag looked plump, as if it held much more than the

pocket-book and the jelly.

Mrs. Flagg looked up with unusual humility. "I did think about that

jelly," she said, as if Miss Pickett had openly reproached her. "I was

afraid it might look as if I was tryin' to pay Nancy for her

kindness."

"Well, I don't know," said Cynthia; "I guess she'd been pleased. She'd

thought you just brought her over a little present: but I do' know as

't would been any good to her after all; she'd thought so much of it,

comin' from you, that she'd kep' it till 't was all candied." But

Mrs. Flagg didn't look exactly pleased by this unexpected compliment,

and her fellow-traveler colored with confusion and a sudden feeling

that she had shown undue forwardness.

Presently they remembered the Beckett house, to their great relief,

and, as they approached, Mrs. Flagg reached over and moved her

hand-bag from the front seat to make room for another passenger. But

nobody came out to stop the stage, and they saw the unexpected guest

sitting by one of the front windows comfortably swaying a palm-leaf

fan, and rocking to and fro in calm content. They shrank back into

their corners, and tried not to be seen. Mrs. Flagg's face grew very

red.

"She got in, didn't she?" said Miss Pickett, snipping her words

angrily, as if her lips were scissors. Then she heard a call, and bent

forward to see Mrs. Beckett herself appear in the front doorway, very

smiling and eager to stop the stage.

The driver was only too ready to stop his horses. "Got a passenger for

me to carry back, ain't ye?" said he facetiously. "Them 's the kind I

like; carry both ways, make somethin' on a double trip," and he gave

Mrs. Flagg and Miss Pickett a friendly wink as he stepped down over

the wheel. Then he hurried toward the house, evidently in a hurry to

put the baggage on; but the expected passenger still sat rocking and

fanning at the window.

"No, sir; I ain't got any passengers," exclaimed Mrs. Beckett,

advancing a step or two to meet him, and speaking very loud in her

pleasant excitement. "This lady that come this morning wants her large

trunk with her summer things that she left to the depot in Woodville.

She's very desirous to git into it, so don't you go an' forgit; ain't

you got a book or somethin', Mr. Ma'sh? Don't you forgit to make a

note of it; here's her check, an' we've kep' the number in case you

should mislay it or anything. There's things in the trunk she needs;

you know how you overlooked stoppin' to the milliner's for my bunnit

last week."

"Other folks disremembers things as well's me," grumbled Mr. Marsh. He

turned to give the passengers another wink more familiar than the

first, but they wore an offended air, and were looking the other way.

The horses had backed a few steps, and the guest at the front window

had ceased the steady motion of her fan to make them a handsome bow,

and been puzzled at the lofty manner of their acknowledgment.

"Go 'long with your foolish jokes, John Ma'sh!" Mrs. Beckett said

cheerfully, as she turned away. She was a comfortable, hearty person,

whose appearance adjusted the beauties of hospitality. The driver

climbed to his seat, chuckling, and drove away with the dust flying

after the wheels.

"Now, she's a friendly sort of a woman, that Mis' Beckett," said

Mrs. Flagg unexpectedly, after a few moments of silence, when she and

her friend had been unable to look at each other. "I really ought to

call over an' see her some o' these days, knowing her husband's folks

as well as I used to, an' visitin' of 'em when I was a girl." But Miss

Pickett made no answer.

"I expect it was all for the best, that woman's comin'," suggested

Mrs. Flagg again hopefully. "She looked like a willing person who

would take right hold. I guess Mis' Beckett knows what she's about,

and must have had her reasons. Perhaps she thought she'd chance it for

a couple o' weeks anyway, after the lady'd come so fur, an' bein' one

o' her own denomination. Hayin'-time'll be here before we know it. I

think myself, gen'rally speakin', 't is just as well to let anybody

know you're comin'."

"Them seemed to be Mis' Cap'n Timms's views," said Miss Pickett in a

low tone; but the stage rattled a good deal, and Mrs. Flagg looked up

inquiringly, as if she had not heard.