Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-07-15

her hair cut short in the neck, and reioiced in
bass voice that was a perpetual surprise in tho
family. Luna soon developed ways, that IL not
dark were decidedly uncomfortable" Ned al
ways declined pie after he once saw Luna as she
| cut each piece drawing the blade through her
mouth, to 'clense" IL. No matter what she had
| previously been doing. she stirred Mrs Wbita-
kers beef tea with her finger without going
through the ceremony Of washing her hands,
! and tasted it frequently with the same spoon Of
fered the invalid She told Susan she liked to
make bread, it takes the grind of your hands
so nice" Under her administration the appe-
tites Of the Whitakers dwindled alarmngy. Su-
san. whe saw the most Of Luna's cookery. lived
entirely on crackers.
When Mrs Whitaker heard that luna prepared
| tho potatoes for dinner iu tho wasl-hand basin
and put the best tea-knives soaking in the bot
tom OF the pan while she did the other dishes,
tea-knives whose glossy handles were Mrs Whit
aker's pride, her indignation knew no bounds
won't have her IN the house another min
ute can't sleep TIL sho Is out OF it Tue idea
My best tea-knives I've been 90 particular new
| 81 even to damp the handles, and always keep
| them put away in tissue paper, and now they're
| ruined Do get her out Of the honse before
she spoils everything ia it.end pOisOns us ALL"
Luna went. Susan cleaned up the hoase and
| prayed, whatever other calamity might be in
| store Tor them they might at least be spared
| another girl. Susan was much better now der
mothers illness had taken her out OF herself aud
| obliged her to make some exertion. She went
into housework with will, equally pleased ana
surprised to find herself really good for some.
thing. Ned helped her all no could, and novel
were some of the experiments Of what Ned cal
led the ''new girls"
One day, Susan decided to have baked beans
for dinner She put something like two quarts
boiling. by and by, looking in the pot, she was
dismayed to tind it full OF beans TO the very
brim. She took out nearly nalf, but still the
beans continued to swell beyond her widest for
bOdings. Ned came in to dinner to fad an inn
meDse dish OF baked beans crowning the dinner
table, and several pans OF the same agreeable
edibles, in various stages OF doneuess, wero
standing around the kitchen.
"Whe-ew ~ exclaimed Ned You're good
provder Sue but seems to me you are rather
OVERRIDING this bean business. feel about beans
as the old lady'5 hired man did about liver. He
liked 1t we'll enough for 30 or 60 days, but didn't
care about it for steady diet"
Don't laugh. Ned" said poor Sne, looking
anxious and exhausted. i've had a really
dreadful time with the things: Ipositively be-
lievo three beans would have been enough"
Susan usually had very good SUCCESS with her
bread. But one day there arose an unforeseen
complication. The sponge had soured in the
night"
"Ned, she said, "iid you ever notice how
much soda mother uses whom the sponge is
sour I'm sure don't know"
Nor l. 1 guess she just stirs it till tastes all
right"
She put in large spoonful of soda.
Then she and Ned both tasted an1 smelt 1t.
"rain't right yet" said Ned with air of
wisdom and experience. Dab in some more"
In went another spoonful. Another testing
by the cooks.
TT tastes smarty" said Sue NJ believe I
shall put in another spooufn"
After getting in four spoourus. they conolu-
ded it would do"
The bread came out OF the oven deep yellow
brown in hue, and exhaling an overpowering
odor OF soda Sue made biscuit for tea, and
the pigs reveled in new bread for supper that
night. Ned being implicated, swore solemn
secrecy, and as he used afterward triumphantly
to observe 1t didn't kill the pigs, either"
But Susaus experiences were not all so dis
sstrous. Mrs. Whitaker was quito astonished to
see how well things went on. She really bega an
to think Susan was natural cook" Daugh-
ters OF such notable housekeepers as Mrs. Viii
taker are apt to be natural cooks" Order and
method ia the rule of the house, and they adopt,
instinctiyey, mothers way" OF doing things
A certain deftness and skill Is hereditary with
them. Perhaps, il Susan had, as she sometimes
wished in the old dreamy days, been an 'author-
ess, her proudest triumph would have given
her no deeper thrill OF pleasure than when her
father eaid -
"susan, this is really capital squash pie. If
your mother don't look out. you'll beat her yet
Just give me another piece"
One day Ned astonisheI Sus with bona iie
compliment.
You're growing handsome sue" he said.
She thought Ned was making fun Of her, there
by, for once, doing hi 4 an Justice. For there
is no sureF cosmetic and beautiher than house,
work. when not carried to excess. No am Iuut
of dumb-bells, 1esh-brushes. "constitntonap
walks and drives gives the energy and brisk cir
cuation the cheerful tone to body and mind,
that comes from the vigorous. varied exercise
OF house-work Sue flew brskly around the
house now, singing as sue made beds upstairs,
with the fresh morning air sweeping breezily
through the open windows, now sweeping the
sltting-room, now kneading dough, now out in
the garden for vegetables, all this varied work
bringing every muscle into play the more hoal-
thy, because not d)ne deliberately aud with
'malice aforethought"
"HUS do you feel to-day Susan Z" 'queriod
Mrs. Whitaker, anxiou4ly.
II really don't know mother," replied Susan,
laughingly II haven't had time to think"
And so Sue had grown plump and rosy, mad
buoyant step, u light and sparkle in her eyes
the radiance in looks aud spirit that comes from
a sound mind in a sound body.
one Monday Sue was iu the clothes yard, try
ing to hang out the clothes. She was short, and
the line high up, the wind blowing gale. 1t
certainly was provoking wind. 1t blew Sues
sun-bonnet of, and her curly brown hair into all
sorts of Wild tangles and tousles, and the table
cloth she was trying to hang up kept tapping
back all over her. Sue stood on tiptoe, strain
ing her arms up, and struggling in vain with the
refractory tabe-cloth.
"Let me help you, Susan" said pleasant,
manly voice.
Sue extricated herself from the mazes OF the
table-cloth to iind Charlie Goodman besile her.
Charlie was working in his south lot, which join-
ed the Whitakers garden, AMI seeing his neigh
boris distress had come to tho rescue like the
kind hearted fellow he was
"Oh, thank you, Charlie said Sue, with per-
haps more color in her cheeks than the wind was
solely responsible for. 1t was vexatious to
be caught looking 30. And Sue hastened to roll
down her sleeves, and conceal her blushss I'M
der her sun-bonnet, while Charlie hung up the
table-cloth and lot the line down within her
reach.
1t is pleasant for woman to be helped, as
for a man to help. She fe!t quite glow OF graf
itude to Charlie.
'How nice it is to be tall !" shs said "I'm
ever much obliged to you"
Not at all. Pm glad to do it. little body
like you ought always to have tall ma around
somewhere handy to help her." SAID Charlie,
looking not unadmiringly down on the flushed
face aud tangled brown curls under the sun bon
net.
Nonsense, Charlie y laughed Sue slyly,
STOPPING to pick up cothes-pin.
Charlie went back to his work. wondering he
had never noticed before what pretty girl Sue
Whitaker was.
Somehow Charlie found great deal to do in
the south lot that fall Any deficiency on his
part, hitherto, in - noticing Susan, was more
than atoned for now. He always had an eye out
in that direction Of the Whitaker mansion. The