The Heart's Kingdom

undle from her, seated her in the largest rocking chair, and she had untie

ce beneath the second water wave that protruded from under the little white widow's ruche in her bonnet and continued to beam at me. "I met Nellie Morgan and her Annarugans hurryin

ject rising at the very first minute of our meeting. I have wondered sometimes in the last few years if the wrestling with me over her faith was not ordained for the purpose of strengthening Mother Spurloc

must at times let a little blood for another's good-heart's blood, very often, not just that from our scalps or shins." And as she answered me without a moment's hesitation she envelop

e on the 'anxious seat' alone," I answered, as I drew my cha

lf the night to feed him and the children, but she puts her pittance into Billy's plate every Sunday, and I know that she gets the strength to go on from day to day from the words that come from the same pulpit he sets the plate behind. That is, we call the table out at your Country

wered her candidly. "I ran away from that

e had been left with only one large and three tiny graves out in the placid home of the dead, beyond the river bend. The babies had been taken by that relentless child foe, diphtheria, and young George, reckless with grief, had let a half-broken horse break his neck. The young woman, aged by her grief, had sold the great house to the next of kin and moved down into an old brick cottage that sat "beside the road" in a gnarled old apple orchard, and had become the "friend to man." Through the orchard and past the door of

say cheerfully, as she saw me with the bundle in my hand. Mother Spurlock always refers to the children without the sanction of the law

ause in a way Mother Spurlock and I

hings that ever happened in the village, and we none of us understand.

ley. Is that all a mystery still?" I asked

violent with her, but only from grief, and she forgave all that. I'm troubled sorely, for she is g

pped because I knew I must not tell what I ha

. "He will, He will take care of us all, not that He doesn't expect us to put in about sixteen hours of the day helping Him to do it for ourselves and others. That reminds me that I seem to be growing to this chair. Luella May Spain has got a nice place to work in the telegraph station with Mr. Pate, and if she's

e door to procure the toilet necessaries to Luella May's telegraphic career, whether it devastated my supply of tennis clothes or not. Nothing that any wom

illiam Cockrell were just caught up out at your Club in your chess game," I heard her exclaim, to draw a laughing answer in father's most genial rumble. Then I heard him call loudly for Dabney, and when Sallie descended with my bundle,

ned out to just about your size. Now he can go back to his j

beyond the law," father grumbled in great pleasure, after he had packed her and her bundles in Hampton's car. Father always calls Mother Spurlock

e on Friday; will you have Dabney get his rooms in the north wing ready for him? He

ucing him to new Manhattan beverages. There is perpetual war between Dabney, who knows father's nervous limit, and Nickols, who doesn't care just as long as things and

ightly strained laugh. "You thought he would be enraged at Goodloe and me f

ered with a laugh, choosing to ignore the issue of the building of the ch

and he looked ashamed of himself for being proud of his own spurt of normality. I caught my breath, but I was wise enough not to show my astonishment. "Goodloe is th

he has got out of you and Dabney. I never saw the garden so beautiful or so ear

tual direction that stood over us with a rake," answered father, with proud if profane enthusiasm. There was a faint pink glow in his haggard, thin che

hat pink bush over there by the sun dial," he said, with a softness in his voice that I had not h

going to do it for him, like I put the fertilizer around the lilacs, just to save him from Goodloe. Tell him to come right here to me, and not to let grass grow in his shoe tracks," and

e garden?" I demanded of the faithful old black friend, whom I found envel

don't kill me before he gits it," answered Da

ould trust this pullet in the skillet to either you or Dabney whilst I did it. The Lord wouldn't listen to no shoutin' from a cook whose chicken was frying black while she did her praisin'," and as she spoke Mammy began a low humming, swaying from table to stove with a rhythm in the swing of her fat body that had a certain dignified beauty to it. It was crude emotion, and I knew it, but I felt it work in my own body

called; and we both a

devils, and you both consider the words of his mouth or he'll git

ked instrument of dentistry, but in one he held a large slice of rye bread thickly spread with butter, and the other was disarmed by a ripe red apple. As we

to father, who had completely sweated down the very high and stiff collar which he always wore swathed in a wide tie of

d up at the young man towering over him. In his eyes was the appeal of disappointed age calling to the ideals of flaming strength an

aid. Then he, for the first time, observed the approach of Dabney and myself, of which his widening

I told you to yesterday? Now you get his hide, Parson!" was the gr

again, Dabney?" questioned th

k glance at me as if to indicate me as a substantial excuse for any crimes.

he apple in meditative indecision. From head to heels he was clothed in the most exquisite white flannel and buckskin tennis clothes, but for all their civilized worldliness he resembled nothing so much as a feeding king of the forest in the poise of his wonderful head and equally wonderful body. I glanced quickly at his face with its gentle, deep, comprehendi

refused the cup of tea I had stood holding for him in my hand for five minutes on the front porch of the Poplars, and I had taken a resolve that never would he again receive a food invitation from m

rd sauce; please don't-I mean ple

bed instead of the parsonage kitchen." Mammy had told me that the Reverend Mr. Goodloe had taken hers and Dabney's cherished and perfectly worthless onl

beside the bed with his sharp spade. I knew the contempt in his voice was for the illness of Jefferson, and the Reverend Mr.

uce," he said, and there was a wooing note in his voice as

my invitation couched so gently, but which I considered in reality haughty and resentful, especially as I had been his guest in his car. "We'll wait until you get your shower, father, and not m

minine vigor, and I have always felt that the superior force with which I have loved and cherished them made it all right. I've always stood by them and used myself mercilessly for their exigenci

ould be a marvelously artistic completeness. But under the joy of hearing him talk as I had never really heard him since I was old enough to appreciate his scint

at completeness. He will be wild about it, but won't it take a lot of money? And where did you

piration came from a kind of rage when Goodloe said to me how much it was to be regretted that all the great gardens in the North are being made out of a sort of patchwork of English, French, Italian and even Japanese influences. You couldn't expect anything more of the inhabitants of the part of the country in the veins of whose people flow just about that mixture of blood, but in the Harpeth Valley we have b

the people of wealth in the North were beginning fairly to clamor, being criticized and laid aside at the inspiration of the Methodist parson across

r mother's and grandmother's. So far the plans have just been begun, and nothing that you and Nickols have done-Dabney, pour me three fingers of the 1875 Bourbon." And in a second I saw father grow white and shaking with mortification at wha

American nationalism, even in a garden, as you have? I'll have you know, sir, that the future of the nation is in the hands of the women. We can produce pure Americans or let the whole country go hybrid." And as I spoke I let my temper rise to a point which I hoped would shock father and take his mind from the decanter and the ice. "I

he ice and gently set the decanter back in its rack. "But dynamite, it comes in sticks and

father?" I asked, and I saw the life and co

swered, and then we both laughed at