Jed formed a daily habit of stopping at the Armstrong door to ask if there were any errands to be done downtown.

"Goin' right along down on my own account, ma'am," was his invariable excuse.

"Might just as well run your errands at the same time." Also, whenever he chopped a supply of kindling wood for his own use he chopped as much more and filled the oilcloth-covered box which stood by the stove in the Armstrong kitchen.

He would not come in and sit down, however, in spite of Barbara's and her mother's urgent invitation; he was always too "busy" for that.
But the time came when he did come in, actually come in and sit down to a meal.

Barbara, of course, was partially responsible for this amazing invitation, but it was Heman Taylor's old brindle tomcat which really brought it to pass.