Mrs. McAllister, whose heart was centered in her son and her vegetable garden.
Her heart warmed to the boy when she saw how carefully he thinned out the carrots, which had been sadly neglected.
"I have been so busy," she declared, "that I have actually stayed awake nights worrying about these carrots. There—see that?" She pulled out a fairly good-sized carrot as she spoke. It had to come out, for it was much too near its neighbors. In fact, when Henry had thinned out half a row he had quite a little pile of eatable carrots, each as large as his thumb. When Mrs. McAllister saw Henry deftly press the earth back again around the carrots which remained standing, she left him quietly with a smile. Here was a gardener whom she could trust.
Henry worked steadily in the hot sun, completing row after row of carrots, parsnips, and onions. When the mill bells rang at noon he worked on, without noticing that his employer was again watching him.
When he did at last notice her he asked her, smiling, what she wanted done with the things he had pulled up.
