Since I have been with Roxanne so much, and seen so many things which prove that God is looking directly after her, as my getting the apple plan shows, I feel so much nearer to Him.  I am going to pray to Him to help me to help Father, and take both our honors in His keeping.  Amen!  Goodnight!

Of course, the whole spring keeps springing wonderful days on a person, each one lovelier than the last; but the one that came down from over Old Harpeth, as the tallest hump on the ridge is called, was so lovely that it was hard to believe that I was not just seeing it with Roxanne’s eyes.  If it was so beautiful, with its orchard smells and blooms and buzzing of bees and soft little winds, to me, I wonder what it did look like to her.  And to think that Roxanne was almost in tears before it was nine o’clock.

The interurban that runs by Byrdsville and out over the ridge to the city has cars only every two hours, so if we didn’t catch the eight-ten one, we couldn’t go until the ten-ten, and that would make it very late for the Scouts to go through all the kinds of drills they had planned for.  Some of us had to sprain ankles and make believe to step on snakes, and then Mamie Sue had to be lost and traced, only she didn’t know it yet; so Tony said that we would have to start very early.  It was about half past seven when he came for me while all the rest of them waited at the corner for us.  We then trooped down to get Roxanne and Lovelace Peyton; but disaster met us at the door.  It was Lovelace Peyton dancing and yelling like a wild Indian while Roxanne tried to quiet him and unbutton his white linen dress-up at the same time.

“Please everybody go on.  We can’t come,” Roxanne called to us at the gate.  “Lovey sat down on one of the hot pies that Uncle Pomp had just taken out of the stove for me to put in the basket, and it burned him through his trousers and blouse and all.  Uncle Pomp has got a dreadful fit of asthma, and the pie is all over everything where Lovey ran around and around.  I’ve got to scrub him and the whole house.  Please go on and don’t be late for the train.”  And as Roxanne looked out at us over the dancing Lovelace Peyton that was the first time I had ever seen her face without its dimple on the left side of her chin, or her head down out of the rosy cloud.

“It always happens just this way, Roxy,” said Belle in a reproving tone of voice.  “You promised to begin to get ready last night, so as not to delay anything or anybody.  We’re just not going to wait!”

“I did try, Belle,” answered Roxanne, with a little sob coming into her voice that made both Tony and me so mad at one time that it is a wonder that we didn’t both explode together.

“Here, you bubbles,” said Tony, jumping the gate as I went through it, “get busy with this situation.  We’ve got almost a half-hour, so be doing something, everybody.  Belle, you help Roxy skin that kid and get him into clean clothes while I swab up and light old Pomp’s jimson-weed pipe for him?” And as Tony spoke he started to the rear of the house.