benefit last night.  After I told her I would put up early, and me and her could jog over in my buggy along behind them flippets to see no foolishness were being carried on, she took it more easy, and it looked like onct and a while on the road she most come to the point of enjoying her own self.  But I reckon I’m just fooling myself by thinking that though,” and Mr. Crabtree eyed the Senator with pathetic eagerness to be assured that he was not self-deceived at this slight advance up the steep ascent of his road of true love.

“Not a bit of doubt in my mind she enjoyed it greatly, suh, greatly, and I consider the cause of diverting her grief has advanced a hundred per cent by her consenting to go at all.  Did any of the other Sweetbriar friends avail themselves of the Providence invitation—­Miss Rose Mary and er—­any of the other young people?”

“No, Miss Rose Mary didn’t want to go, though Mr. Rucker woulder liked to hitch up the wagon and take her and Mis’ Rucker and the children.  She have been mighty quiet like sinct Mr. Everett left us, though she’d never let anybody lack the heartening of that smile of hern no matter how tetched with lonesome she was herself.  When the letters come I just can’t wait to finish sorting the rest, but I run with hers to her, like Sniffie brings sticks back to Stonie Jackson when he throws them in the bushes.”

“Ahm—­er—­do they come often?” asked the Senator in a casual voice, but his eyes narrowed in their slits and the veil became impenetrable.

“Oh, about every day or two,” answered the unconsciously gossipy little bachelor.  “Looks like the whole family have missed him, too.  Miss Viney has been in bed off and on ever since he left, and Miss Amandy has tooken a bad cold in her right ear and has had to keep her head wrapped up all the time.  Mr. Tucker’s mighty busy a-trying to figure out how to crap the farm like Mr. Mark laid off on a map for him to do—­but he ain’t got the strength now to even get a part of it done.  If Miss Rose Mary weren’t strong and bendy as a hickory saplin she couldn’t prop up all them old folks.”

“Yes,” answered the Senator in one of his most judicial and dulcet tones as he eyed the little bachelor in a calculating way as if deciding whether to take him into his confidence, “what you say of Mr. Alloway’s being too old to farm his land with a profit is true.  I have come this time to talk things over with him and—­er—­Miss Rose Mary.  Did I understand you to say our friend Everett is still in New York?  Have you heard of his having any intention of returning to Sweetbriar any time soon?”