THE COUNTRY BOY 21 



morning, my chapped feet didn't hurt me as 

 usual, so from one uncle's house I went to an- 

 other and around until I had told all my cousins 

 that we were going to Silverton to live, that 

 I was sorry, I hated to leave them, hut the de- 

 mand was great. The city was calling for us 

 and we would perhaps have to go. 



At Grandmother Geer's I found Grand- 

 mother Davenport, who had beat me over. 

 She was old, but as spry as a sixteen-year-old 

 girl. As the two grandmothers stood side by 

 side on the porch as I approached, I thought 

 of what two perfect women they were. The 

 earth's surface could have been combed and 

 two finer types of womanhood could not have 

 been found. As I had no mother, these two 

 old ladies had reared me, and in a way they 

 seemed more like mothers than grandmothers. 



Up to this time the feeling of delight had 

 made it possible for my bare feet just to touch 

 the high places, but here at Grandmother 

 Geer's things took on a serious aspect. I 

 yelled to them, "Halloa," as I was opening the 

 old gate that led past the big yellow rose bush, 

 and all they did was to let their heads lop over 

 on the one shoulder and smile. When I came 



