South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-12-14
A LESSON IN OBEDIENCE
She was all aionci

she had theoriz6d o good deal over
Handy HouseSeepers,' sComprehen-
sive Cook Books and Home Guides. ;
but she had never had any practical
experience before. And now, up in
these wild woods, the helm OF domes.
tic affairs was Unexpectedly placed in
her hands, hers alone.
She liked the woods and the river |;
the meadows all starred with daisies !;
and the long, low farmhouse, with il )
red brick chimLey-stacks; its treliises
all bending with the weight of vines !;
the old stone-walled garden, here
ripening currants hung like ruby fin
gers. and the green gooseberries
seemed TO absorb the very sweetness
of the sunshine into their translucent
hearts.
To her mind it was deal nicer
than the city-fiat, with the milkman
yelling, the hand-organ droning, the
everlasting clouds OF dust And to-.
day, when Aunt Themis wanted to
go to hear her favorite elder hold
forth at camp-meeting, Dotty volun-
teered to stay and get the dinner for
Reuben and Rankin, her two tall
.cou sins.
La, child = said Aunt Themis, syou
don't know nothin' about cooain.'
'Dut indeed do asseverated Dot
ty. L can make chicken fricassee
as well as you, Aunt Themy.. watch
eel the way you did it last Saturday;
and L know can turn out first-class
cherry TAFT
WELL said Aunt Themis, q little
doubtfully, anyhow, there's plenty of
good rye-bread and new milk, and.
i:obody needn't to starve OH that.
And be sure, Dotty, you keep the
doors oolted and dou't let tramps in,
and don't forget that brood of young
turkeys in the barn chamber, and
blow the dinner horn ut twelve pre-.
cise!y; and don't on no account leave
the milk-room door open, for that
new cat is the theivingest creeter you
ever did see.'
'Ob, ~; take care' said Dotiy,
with the reckless audacity of ignoI !.
ance. Everything shall be quite
quite right Youth see, Aunt The
mis-
And after the old lady had depart
ed, with many misgiyings, Dotty drew
long breath of rapture, and execu.
ted an impromptu dance in the mid
die of the kitchen floor.
Only think y che said, addressing
the cat in the corner-'the whole
house all to myself! Won't I get g
superb dinner for Reuben and Ran
kin? I'll make a meringue tart, ard
ice cream, and vanilla puffs and cho,
coiate cake and I'll try my hand at
mockturtle soup, and cream candy.
and black coffee And how l will
surprise them! And rs for boiling
the doors, how utterly ridiculous it
would be to shut out the beautiful sun
shine, andi the butterflies, and le
sweet scented air This house always
smells like blue mould when Aunt
Themis is here; and of course nobody
could get in while ara here =
So Dotty skinned the pans for
cream TO make the ice cream, and
stirred up the vanilla putf+, and graf
ed chocolate for the cake, and PIT the
two fat, little white chickens into the
pot for tine fricasseo and then, feel
ing herself every inch housekeeper,
she frisked away up stairs to make
the beds.
But there was no question of beds,
when once she was up stairs, where
huge old chest of some dark-stained
wood stood open, near the landing.
81 he old oak chest = cried Do'ty,
who was as full of romance as a white.
clover blossom is of sweetness 'And
to think that Aunt Thenis never let
me look into it before =
There was nothing very particular,
after all, in it, Only stuffy-smelIing
blankets, moth-eaten gown or two,
the brass buttoned military coat in
which Uncle Amaniah. dead these
ten years-had been wont to rally
on training days.
'Pshaw 7 said Dotty. There ought
to have been n forgotten will there, or
a skeleton, at the very least. It's u
humDug, that Old chest
just as this reflection passed through
her mind, a whining, nasal voice
sounded at the bottom of the little
wooden stairway, which wound up
like n corkscrow from below.
Any old clothes TO exchange for
beautiful china vases, lady? Any cold
victualq for poor MANI
He was a stalwart, blacl,-browed
fellow, with vilaincus, slit-like eves.
and n tattcrcd velvcteen suit; and
Dotty's heart stood s'ill with terror
+ Tor a second.
Oh, if che had only obeyed Ter
Aunt Themis aud locked up those
doors
Mo- she said, shortly. Go a.
way,