waiting shack between stations like it has come to be in these times
of women's uprising--in the newspapers."

"We don't get much new woman excitement out here in Harpeth Valley,
Uncle Tucker," laughed Rose Mary, glad to see him rise once more from
the depth of his depression to his usual philosophic level. "You
wouldn't call--er--er Mrs. Poteet a modern woman, would you?"

"Fly-away, Peggy Poteet is the genuine, original mossback and had
oughter be expelled from the sex by the confederation president
herself," answered Uncle Tucker as they both glanced down past the
milk-house where they saw the comely mother of the seven at her gate
administering refreshment in the form of bread and jam to all of her
own and quite a number of the other members of the Swarm, including
the General and the reclothed and shriven Tobe. "If there is another
Poteet output next April we'll have to report her," he added with a
laugh.

"But there never was a baby since Stonie like little Tucker," answered
Rose Mary in quick defense of the small namesake of whom Uncle Tucker
was secretly but inordinately proud.

"Yes, and I'm a-going to report you to the society of suppression of
men folks as a regular spiler, Rose Mary Alloway, if you don't keep
more stern than you are at present with me and Stonie, to say nothing
of all the men members of Sweetbriar from Everett clean on through
Crabtree down to that very young Tucker Poteet. You are one of the
women that feed and clothe and blush on men like you were borned a
hundred years ago and nobody had told you they wasn't worth shucks.
Are you a-going to reform?"