Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-11-14
A Lesson in Obedience.
She was all alone!

She was all alone!
H. was quite new experience to
/ otty, this housekeeping business.
she had theorized a coed deal over
Handy Housekeepers," "Comprehen-
sive Cook Books" and "lIome-Guides,"
but she had never had any practical
experience before. And now, up in
these wild woods, the helm of domestic
affairs was Unexpectedly placed in her
hands, and hers alone.
She liked the woods and the river;
the meadows all starred with daisies;
and the long, low farmhouse, with its
red brick chimney-stacks; its trellises
all bending with the weight of vines;
the old stone-walled garden, where
ripening currants hung like ruby
fingers, and the green gooseberries
seemed to absorb the very sweetness of
the sunshine into their translucent
hearts.
To her mind it was a deal nicer than
the city-fat, with the milllman yelling,
the hand-organ droning, the everlast-
ing clouds of dust. And to-day, when
Aunt Themis wanted to 60 to hear her
favOrite elder hold forth at camp-meet-
ing, Dotty volunteered to stay and get
the dinner for Reuben and Rankin, her
two tall cousins.
"La, child" said Aunt Themis, "y0u
don't know nothin' about cookin'."
"But indeed | do," asseverate
Dotty. II can make chicken
fricassee as well as you, Aunt Themy.
l watched the way you did it last
Saturday; and ! hnooO l can turn out
a first-class cherry tart"
"Well," said Aunt Themis, a little
doubtfully, anyhow, there's plenty Of
good rye-bread and new milk, and
nobody needn't to starye on that
And be sure, Dotty, you keep the doors
bolted, and don't let tramps in, and
don't forget that brood of young
turkeys in the barn chamber, and blow
the dinner horn at twelve precisely;
and don't on no account leave the
milk-room door open, for that new cat
is the theivingest creeter you ever did
See."
ooh, I'll take care!" said Dotty, with
the reckless audacity Of Ignorance.
Everything shall be quite - quite
right You'll see, Aunt Themis."
And after the old lady had departed,
with many misgivings, Dotty drew a
long breath of rapture, and executed
an impromptu dance in the middle Of
the kitchen floor
"Only think" she said, addressing
the cat in the corner-!"the whole
house all to myself. Won't l get a
superb dinner for Reuben and Rankin
I'll make me'tngue tart, and ice
cream, and vanilla puffs, and chocolate
cake, and I'll try my hand at mock.
turtle soup, and cream candy, and
black coffee! And how l will sur
prise them And as for boiling the
doors, how utterly ridiculous it would
be to shut out the beautiful sunshine,
and the butterflies, and the sweet
scented air! This house always smells
like blue mould when Aunt Themis is
here; and of course nobody could get
in while / am herer
So Dotty skinned the pans fol-
cream to make the ice cream, and
stirred up the vanilla puffs, and grated
chocolate for the cake, and put the
two fat, little white chickens into the
pot for the fricassee; and then, feeling
herself every inch houseReeper, 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.
"The old oak chest" cried Dotty
who was full of romance as a white
clover blossom is Of sweetness. "Ant
to think that Aunt Themis never lei
me look into it before"
There was nothing very particular
after all, in it. Only stuify-smelling
blankets. q moth-eaten gown or two