The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-08-07
oveIy carmino color mounted into her

lovely carnine color mounted into her
cheeks.
Nancy" she cried, you are Sec
ond Talleyrand!'
go along with you!," said Nancy,
with a chuckle, not at all knowing who
Taleyrand was, but quite sensible that
a compliment of some kind was in
tended by the comparison.
MIR. Meredith was standing on the
doorstep all greasy smiles, when Het-
ty came to the door, with her brown
frizzes tied up in 4 pockct-handkerchief
and a huge bib-apron eclipsing her
pretty figure.
"NIy dear Miss Hetty, how are your"
said Mr.. Meredith. Your father was
so good as to invite me to come here
whenever ii was convenient; so, as my
housekeeper is gone for week, | have
concluded"
"Oh, yes, very glad to see you, I'm
sure!' said Hetty, hurriedly. walk
in. Father, and mother, and Lavinia
have gone to Hereford to the opening
of the new chapel that has been built
there for Uncle Jared by his congrega-
ton, and they won't be back until the
day after Tomorrow. But Nancy is
here Nancy and are cleaning house,
Mr.. Meredith's face elongated itself.
Cleaning housem he repeated, dol
orously. "But that's all nonsense. No
properly kept house ever needs clean
ing"
He came on slowly. A step-ladder
stood at the end of the hall-hurriedly
stirred-up pals of whitewash foamed
on either side, while Nancy, in q faded
calico dress, advanced.
"Walk in, Mr.. Meredith" said She
"walk right in. Wen try and make
you as comfortable rs we can. | told
Miss Hctty, says |, Just as certain rs
you pull up the things and go to house
cleaning, company'll come. They al
ways do, says |. But Miss Hetty, she
does set so much store by house-clean-
ing, She says she's going to clean
house once month when she has q
house of her own"
Mr.. Meredith simply gasped, and
said nothing. .
"Oh. yes said Hetty, artlessly,
clasping her hands. Cleanliness is
next to godliness, you know. And |
do so delight in soapsuds and white
washing, and 1oor-scrubbing, and all
that sort of thing. That's right, Mr..
Meredith, sit yourself down. Weshan' t
tear this room to pieces until after
dinner"
'"I'm very glad of that" dejectedly
uttered the middle-aged swain. Il
think myself that house-cleaning-"
And I'll get the dinner at once,
interrupted Nancy. "Hetty is queer
girl, She don't like to cook; she says
when she's married she's going to roast
or boil encc 4 week, and live OIL cold
victuals the rest of the time.
But it seems to me that is q mis-
taken idea" argued Mr.. Meredith.
"My mother was famous cook. She
always baked pies fresh every day, and
made hot rolls for breakfasts and I've
a recipe of hers for chicken and hans
pie that wouldn't exchange for its
weight in gold.
II despise cooking!' said Hetty, in
differently. "And don't mean to slave
over the kitchen crate, to suit the pre-
judice OF any man living
Mr.. Meredith stared at her once
more, and in default Of any plying re-
ply. opened and closed his fat mouth
in a tishy way; even Hetty's eighteen
year old beauty could hardly reconcile
him to such horetical opinions as these.
Dinner was served.
Boiled eggs, cold bacon cut in thin,
pink shavingS bread and butter and
tea, weak almost to inanatlon, formed
the bill of fare.
Mr.. Meredith ate with knile OF one
pattern and a fork OF another and
sweetened MS tea with brown sugar on
account OF the white variety having
been misIaid,
Nothing matters much when you
are cleaning house, said Hctty' rad
iantly'
But Mr.. Meredith, who July aPprc-
ciated all the creature comforts OF 'his
world, entertained q very Inherent
opinion. After TINS rather unSauSiac-
tory meal, Hctty set her elderly lover
to beating heartn-ruS "hlch was
stretched over ciothes-llne'
I'm sure you'd rather be DONG
something thah slt'ihg sun Saiu ilct-
ty, rs she put a long hazel Sapllng INTO