The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1884-09-18

things in tho world ho abominates
house-cleaning. Wen clean house
while he's here, Hetty, ehP'
Tho girls brilliant eyes sparklod
through her quiokly-driod tears; o
lovely carmine color mounted into her
cheeks.
Nancy" she cried, 'you aro Sec
ond Talleyrand?'
"Go along with your' said Nancy,
with o chuckle, not at all knowing who
Talleyrand was, but quito sensible that
o compliment of some kind was in
tended by the comparison.
Mr.. Meredith was standing on tho
doorstep all greasy smiles, when Het-
ty came to the door, with her brown
frizzes tied up in apocket-handkerchief
and II hugo bib-apron eclipsing her
pretty figure.
My dear Miss Hetty, how are your"
said Mr.. Meredith. "Your father was
so good as to invite me to come hero
whenever 1t was convonient; so, as my
housekeeper is gone for week, have
concluded"
"Oh, yes, very glad to see you, I'm
sure! said Hotty, hurriedly. "Walk
in. Father. and mother, and Lavinia
havo gone to Hereford to the opening
there for Ulcle Jared by his congrcga-
ton, and they won't be back until tho
day after tomorrow. But Nancy is
here. Nancy and are cleaning house"
Mr.. Mercdith's faco elongated itself.
"Clcaning house!" he repeated, dol
orously. 'But that's all nonsense. No
properly kept house ever needs clean
ing"
He came on slowly. A stcp-ladder
stood at the end of tho hall-hurriedly
stirrod-up pals of whitewash foamed
on either side, while Nancy, in faded
calico dress, advanced.
"Walk in, Mr.. Mcrcdith,n said She
'walk right in. Won try and make
! you rs comfortable as we can. | told
Miss Hetty, says l, just as certain as
| you pull up the things and GO to house.
cleaning, company'lI come. They al
ways do says /. But Miss Hetty, she
does set so much store by house clean
ing. She says sho's going to clean
house once month when she has q
| house of her own"
Mr.. Meredith simply gaspod, and
said nothing.
"Oh, yes" said Hetty, artlessly,
clasping her hands. "Cleanlncss is
next to godlincss, you know. And l
do SO delight in soapsuds and white
| washing, and tloor-scrubbing, and all
that sort of thing. That's right, Mr..
Meredith, sit yourself down. We shan't
tear this room to pieces until after
dinner"
'I'm very glad of that" dojcctedly
uttered the middle-aged swain. II
think myself that housc-clcaning-"
t,And I'll get the dinner at once"
into a. toVM =,
girl. She don't like to cook; she says
or boil once week, and 1.-Two off cold
victuals the rest of the time"
''But it seems to me that is mis-
taken idea," argued Mr.. Meredith.
'tMy mother was famous cook. Sho
always baked pies fresh every day, and
made hot rolls for breakfast; and rvc
n recipe of hers for chickon and ham
pie that wouldn't exchange for its
weight in gold"
II despisc cooking!" said Hctty, in
differently. "And don't mean to slave
over the kitcken-gratc, to suit the pre-
judico of any man living"
MIR. Meredith stared at her once
moro, and in default of any plying re-
ply, opened and closed his fat mouth
in q fishy way; even Hctty's eighteen
year old beauty could hardly reconcile
him to such hcretical opinions as these.
Dinner was served.
Boiled eggs, cold bacon cut In thin,
pink shavings, bread and butter, and
tea, weak almost to inanation, formed
tho bill Of fare.
Mr.. Meredith ate with knife of one
pattern and Il fork of another, and
sweetencd his tea with brown sugar, on
account of tho white variety having
been mislaid.
Nothing matters much whom YOU
are cleaning house." said Hctty, rad
But MI. Meredith, who fully appre-
ciatcd all the creature comforts of this
world, entertained q very different
opinion. After this rather unsatisfac-
tory meal, Hetty set her elderly lover
to beating q hearth-rug which was
stretched over a clothes-line.
"pm sure you'd rather bo doing
something than sitting STILL" said Het-
ty, as she put long hazel sapling into
the hands of Mr.. Meredith, and adiured
And after you've finished this" she
added, with a gracious smile, "you
shall get upon the ladder and help
Nancy with the cciling.n
Mr. Meredith worked like a day lab
orer until the friendly darkness came
to his aid. Even then he was set to
getting nails out of carpet with u
screwdriVcr, on his knees, by the light
of spluttoring oil-lamp.
1--WE are getting along 50 splendidly
with the house-cloanipg" chMped Hot-
ty. with an exultant laugh.
Mr.. Meredith suppod off bread-and-
cheese and beer, and slept on q bed
stead which occupied dosolatc waste
of nowl y-scrubbed floor.
He woke up, the next morning, with
darting rheumatic pains in all his
bones, and came down stairs with u
lowering brow.
Hetty was there, in the highest spir-
its, with her head already tied up in an
apron.
"You arc just tho person we want,
Mr.. Meredith" said she. Nancy
wants all tho bureaus and heavy furni-
turo moved outside, so than we can be-
pin to ClCan the parlOr at Oncen