“Thank you,” answered Everett with both a laugh and a catch in his voice as they separated, he going out through the field and over the hill and Uncle Tucker along the path to the house.

And a little later Uncle Tucker found Rose Mary moving alone knee deep in the flowers and fruit of her beloved garden.  For long moments she bent over the gray-green, white-starred bed of cinnamon pinks which sent up an Arabian fragrance into her face as she carefully threaded out each little weed that had dared rear its head among the white blossoms.  As she walked between the rows the tall lilies laid their heads against her breast and kissed traces of their gold hearts on her hands and bare arms, while on the other side a very riot of blush peonies crowded against her skirts.  Long trails of pod-laden snap beans tangled around her feet and a couple of round young squashes rolled from their stems at the touch of her fingers.  She was the very incarnation of young Plenty in the garden of the gods, and she reveled as she worked.

“Rose Mary,” said Uncle Tucker as he came and stood beside her as she began to train the clambering butter-bean vines around their tall poles, “young Everett has got to go on to New York to-night on the train from Boliver, and I told him you would be mighty glad to help him off in time.  I’d put him up a middling good size snack if I was you, for the eating on a train must be mighty scrambled like at best.  We’ll have to turn around to keep him from being late.”  And it was thus broadside that the blow was delivered which shook the very foundations of Rose Mary’s heart and left her white to the lips and with hands that clutched at the bean vines desperately.

“When did he tell you?” she asked in a voice that managed to pass muster in the failing light.

“Just a little while ago, and the news hit Sister Viney so sudden like it give her a bad spell of asthma, and Sister Amandy was sorter crying and let the jimson-weed smoke get in her mouth and choke her.  They are a-having a kind of ruckus, with nobody but Stonie helping ’em put Sis’ Viney to bed, so I reckon you’d better go in and see ’em.  He’s gone over to the north field to get a hammer or something he left and will be back soon.  Hurry that black pester up with the supper, I’m so bothered I feel empty,” with which injunction Uncle Tucker left Rose Mary at the kitchen steps.

And it was a strenuous hour that followed, in which things were so crowded into Rose Mary’s hands that the fullness of her heart had to be ignored if she was to go on with them.  After a time Miss Lavinia was eased back on her pile of pillows and might have dropped off to sleep, but she insisted on having her best company cap arranged on her hair and a lavender shawl put around her shoulders and thus in state take a formal leave of the departing guest—­alone.  And it was fully a half hour before Everett came out of her room, and Rose Mary saw him slip a tiny pocket