The Road To Providence | Page 6

I was so hopeless and unhappy--and
desperate when I came. But I believe my voice is coming back! Every
day it's stronger and you are so good to me and make me so happy that
I'm not afraid any more. You give me faith to hope--as well as to mix
biscuits." And a pearly tear splashed on the rolling- pin.
"Yes, put your trust in the Heavenly Father, child, and some in Tom
Mayberry. Before you know it you'll be singing like the birds out in the
trees; but I can't let myself think about the time's a-coming for you to
fly away to the other people's trees to sing. When Tom told me about
Doctor Stein's wanting to send a great big singer lady, what had lost her
voice, down here to see if he couldn't cure her like he did that preacher
man and the politics speaker, I was skeered for both him and me, for I
knew things was kinder simple with us here and I was afraid I couldn't
make you happy and comfortable. But then I remembered Doctor Stein
had stayed 'most two weeks when he came South with Tom for a visit
and said he had tacked ten years on to the end of his life by just them
few days of Providence junketings and company feedings, so I made up
my mind not to be proud none and to say for you to come on. I've got
faith in my boy's doctoring same as them New York folks has, and I
wanted him to try to cure you. Then I knew you didn't have no mother
to pet up the sick throat none. A little consoling comfort is a good dose
to start healing any kind of trouble with. I knew I had plenty of that in
my heart to prescribe out to help along with your case; so here you are
not three weeks with us, a-mixing riz biscuits for Tom's supper and like
to coax the heart outen both of us. I told him--Dearie me, somebody's
calling at the front gate!"
"Mis' Mayberry! Oh, Mis' Mayberry!" came a high, quavering old
voice from around the corner of the house, and Squire Tutt hove in

sight. He was panting for breath and trembling with rage as he
ascended the steps and stood in the kitchen door.
Mother hastened to bring him a chair into which he wheezingly
subsided.
"Why, Squire," she questioned anxiously, "have anything happened? Is
Mis' Tutt tooken with lumbago again?"
"No!" exploded the Squire, "she's well--always is! I'm the only really
sick folks in Providence, though I don't git no respect for it. In pain all
the time and no respect--no respect!"
"Now, Squire, everybody in Providence have got sympathy for your
tisic, and just yesterday Mis' Pike was a-asking me--"
"Tisic! I ain't talking about tisic now! It's this pain in my stomick that
that young limb of satan of your'n insulted me about not a hour ago. Me
a-writhing in tormint with nothing less'n a cancer--insulted me!" As the
Squire projected his remark toward Mother Mayberry he bent double
and peered expectantly up into her sympathetic face.
"Why, what did he do, Squire?" demanded Mother, with a glance at
Miss Wingate, who still stood at the biscuit block cutting out her dough.
She regarded the old man with alarmed wonder.
"Told me to drink two cups of hot water and lie down a hour--me in
tormint!" The Squire fairly spit his complaint into the air.
"Dearie me, Tom had oughter known better than that about one of your
spells," said Mother. "Why, I've been a-curing them for years for you
myself with nothing more'n a little drop of spirits, red pepper and mint.
He had oughter told you to take that instead of hot water. I'm sorry--"
"Oughter told me to take spirits--told me to TAKE spirits! Don't you
know, Mis' Mayberry, a man with a sanctified wife can't TAKE no
spirits; they must be GAVE to him by somebody not a member of the
family. Me a-suffering tormints--two cups of hot water--tormints,

tormints!"
The old man's voice rose to a perfect wail, but came down a note or two
as Mother hastily reached in the press and drew out a tall, old demijohn
and poured a liberal dose of the desired medicine into a glass. She
added a dash of red pepper and a few drops of peppermint. This
treatment of the Squire's dram in Mother's estimation turned a sinful
beverage into a useful medicine and served to soothe her conscience
while it disturbed the Squire's appreciation of her treatment not at all.
He swallowed the fiery dose without as much as the blink of an eyelid
and on the instant subsided into comfortable complacency.
"Please forgive Tom