“That’s good,” said Anderson.

“Yes, sir, so the things are sure to be there.  They won’t back out at the last minute, as they do sometimes.  Awful mean, too.  Say, you’d better come.  Your mother can come, too.  She likes ice-cream, don’t she?”

Anderson said that he believed she did.

“Well, she’ll be sure to get all she can eat,” said Eddy.  “Tell her to come.  I like your mother.”  He clung closely to the man’s arm and walked along the street with him, forgetting his post as guardian of the church.  “You’ll come, won’t you?” he said.

“No.  I shall be too busy, my son,” said Anderson, smiling; and finally Eddy retreated dissatisfied.  When he went home an hour later he burst into the house with a question.

“Say,” he asked Charlotte, “I want to know if Mr. Anderson and his mother were asked to the wedding.”

Charlotte was hurrying through the hall with white and green ribbons flying around her, en route to trim the bay-window where the bridal couple were to stand to receive the guests.  “Oh, Eddy, dear,” she cried, “I can’t stop now; indeed I can’t.  I don’t know who was invited and who not.”

“But, Charlotte,” Eddy persisted, “I want to know particularly.  Please tell me, honey.”

Then Charlotte stopped and looked back over her great snarl of white and green ribbon.  “Who did you say, dear?” she asked.  “Hurry!  I can’t stop.”

“Mr. Anderson,” repeated Eddy.  “Mr. Anderson and his mother.”

“Mr. Anderson and his mother?” repeated Charlotte, vaguely, and just then Anna Carroll came with a little table which was to support a bowl of roses in the bay-window.

“Mr. Anderson,” said Eddy again.

“I don’t know who you mean, Eddy, dear,” said Charlotte.

“Why, yes, you do, Charlotte, Mr. Anderson and his mother.”

“What is it?” asked Anna Carroll.  “Eddy, you must not stop us for anything.  We are too busy.”

“You might just tell me if they are asked to the wedding,” said Eddy, in an aggrieved tone.  “That won’t take a minute.  Mr. Anderson.  He keeps store.”

“Gracious!” cried Anna Carroll.  “The child means the grocer!  No, dear, he isn’t asked.”

“Why, I never thought!” said Charlotte.  “No, dear, he isn’t asked.”

“Why not?” asked Eddy.

“We couldn’t ask everybody, honey,” replied Anna.  “Now you must not hinder us another minute.”

But Eddy danced persistently before them, barring their progress.

“He isn’t everybody,” he said.  “He’s the nicest man in this town.  Why didn’t you ask him?  Didn’t you think he was nice enough, I’d like to know?”

“Of course he is nice, dear,” said Charlotte; “very nice.”  She flushed a little.

“Why didn’t you ask him, then?” demanded Eddy.  “I call it mean.”

Anna took Eddy by his small shoulders and set him aside.

“Eddy,” she said, sternly, “not another word.  We could not ask the grocer to your sister’s wedding.  Now, don’t say another word about it.  Your sister and I are too busy to bother with you.”