The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1884-03-14
miscellaneous.
A Lesson in Obedience.
She was all alone!


1t was quite q new experience to Dotty,
this housekeeping business. She had theoriz-
ed good deal over Handy Housekeep-
ers," Comprehensive Cook Books" and
"IIome 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 fling
ers, and the green gooseberries seemed to
| absorb the very sweetness of the sunshine
into the translucent hearts,
To her mind it was deal nicer than the
city flat, with the milkman yelling, the hand
organ droning, the everlasting clouds ofdust
And to-day, when Aunt Themis wanted to
go to hear her favorite elder hold forth at
camp-meeting, Dotty volunteered to stay and
get the dinner for Reuben and Rankin, her
two tall cousins.
"La, child p said Aunt Themis, "you don't
know nothin' about cookn'."
"But indeed do" asserverated Dotty. 81
can make a chicken fricassee rs well as you
Aunt Themy. l watched the way you did
it last Saturday; and know can turn
out first-class cherry tart"
"Well," said Aunt Themis, little doubt
fully, anyhow, there's plenty of goodbye
bread and new milk, and nobody needn't to
.starve 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 10 precisely and don't on no account leave
the milk room door open, for that new cat is
thicvingest creeter you ever did see"
ooh, I'll take care p said Dotty, with the
reckless audacity of ignorance Everything
shall be quite-quile right You'll see,
Aunt Themis"
And after the old lady had departed, with
many misgivings, Dotty drew long breath
of rapture, and executed an impromplu dance
in the middle of the kitchen-floor.
"Only think p she said addressing the cat
in the corner-"the whole house all to my
self Won't get superb dinner for Reu-
ben and Rankin; I'll make q meringue tart,
and ice cream, and vanilla puffs, and choco-
late cake, and I'll try.my hand at mock tur-
tie soup, and cream candy, and black coffee !!
And how | will surprise 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 l am,
herep
SO Dotty skinned the pans for cream to
make the ice cream, and stirred up the
vanilla pufis, and grated chocolate for the
cake, and put the two fat, little white chick
ems into the pot for the fricassee; and them
feeling herself every inch housekecper, 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 dsrk-staned wood stood open,
near the landing.
1.-THE old oak chest p cried Dotty, who
| was full of romance as white clover blossom
is of sweetness, "And think that Aunt
Themis never let me look into it before !"
There was nothing very particular, after
ALL in it. Only stutfy-smelling blankets, a
moth-eaten gown or two, the brass button ed
military coat in which Uncle Amaniah-dead
these ten years-had been wont to orally" on
training days.
"Pshaw p said Dotty. "There ought to
have been forgotten will there or skele-
ton, at the very least. It's a humbug, 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 corkscrew from below.
ANY old clothes to exchange for beautiful
china vases, ladyP" Any cold victuals for
poor man?
He was stalwart, black browed fellow,
| with villainous, slit-like eyes, and n tattered
velvetcen suit, and Dotty's heart stood still
with terror for q second.
Oh, if she had only obeyed her Aunt
| Themis and locked up those doors
Nor she said, shortly. go away"
Don't be hard on a poor fellow, miss -
| whined the man.
| And Dotty was quite certain that she saw
the spout of Aunt Themi's old solid silver
cream jug protruding from the flaps ofhis
raggid vclveteen pocket AT the same mo-
ment, he began ascending the stairs with in
solent deliberation.
In an instant all the doubts, the breads, the
possibilities, the horrors of the situation,
glanced across Dotty's mind
Reuben and Rankin were in The distant
meadow cutting grass; the tin horn, by
means of which she usually summoned them,
was hanging up down stairs at the back of
the kitchen door.
l Not neighbor lived within sight or call