That evening at supper Philip asked suddenly, "What ails you two, Uncle
Amos, you and Millie? I see you grin every time you look at each
other."
"Well, nothin' ails me except a bad case of love that's been stickin'
in me this long while and now it's broke out. Millie's caught it too."
"Well, I declare!" Amanda was quick to detect his meaning. "You two
darlings! I'm so glad!"
"Ach," the hired girl said, blushing rosy, "don't go make so much fuss
about it. Ain't we old enough to get married?"
"I'm glad, Millie," Mrs. Reist told her. "Amos just needs a wife like
you. He worried me long a'ready, goin' on all alone. Now I know he'll
have some one to look out for him."
"Finis! You're done for!" Phil said. "Lay down your arms and surrender.
But say, that makes it bully for Mother and me. We can move to
Lancaster now. May we run out to the farm and visit you, Millie?"
"Me? Don't ask me. It's Amos's."
"Millie, you goose," the man said happily, "when you marry me
everything I have will be yours, too."
"Well, did I ever! I don't believe I'll know how to think about it that
way. This nice big house won't seem like part mine."
"It'll be _ours_" Uncle Amos said, smiling at the word.
And so it happened that the preparation of another wedding outfit was
begun in the Reist farmhouse.
"I don't need fancy things like Amanda," declared the hired girl. "I
wear the old style o' clothes yet. And for top things, why, I made up
my mind I'm goin' to wear myself plain and be a Mennonite."
"Plain," said Mrs. Reist. "Won't Amos be glad! He likes you no matter
what clothes you wear, but it's so much nicer when you can both go to
the same church. He'll be glad if you turn a Mennonite."
"Well, I'm goin' to be one. So I won't want much for my weddin' in
clothes, just some plain suits and bonnets and shawl. But I got no
chest ready like Amanda has. I never thought I'd need a Hope Chest.
When I was little I got knocked around, but as soon as I could earn
money I saved a little all the time and now I got a pretty good bit
laid in the bank. I can take that and get me some things I need."
Mrs. Reist laid her hands on the shoulders of the faithful hired girl.
"Never mind, Millie, you'll have your chest! We'll go to Lancaster and
buy what you want. Amos got his share of our mother's things when we
divided them and he has a big chest on the garret all filled with
homespun linen and quilts and things that you can use. That will all be
yours."