The morning call., 1891-09-04
RERMIA'S ....=... i. !.
HOUSE-O0LEANING

with the wild aDutterCHp. anu 5DaafhpeL
vines running RIOT over his graye=zhad been
great lover of Shakespeare and bad called
the twin daughters Hernia and Helena.
They were odd names. aud Of course re-
euired explanations for almost everybody
explanations that were sometimes little
awkward. - +: Fl. -=f: ~ +,
~ Helena was romanticaIy inclined. and
gloried in her nomenclature. Hernia set
her pretty pearly teeth together and wished
, she had been. called Prudence. \ Naonlt or any
other hum-drHm, eyety-d&y sort an ap-
peIatiye. :: r.. + =
-. Upon this sunstinv afternoon Helena
.Yane sat, with hook in her lap. upon the
doorstep, making, quite uncOpsciously TO
herself, a picturesque little tableaA under
the evening shadow Of the great maple
which was just shewering devil the .last oi
It's crimson Bl0ssOm banners 10 NJ axe tQom
fer the cluster Of tender ybung lehfages tor
spring had come slowly up the Holmes
worthy way that season, and everything
was late. Hernia, with her sleeves rolled
up, had just finished washing tie Dinner
dishes. IA - -: -
Some one must wash dishes, - said Her
mia, land Helena DOES SO hate Kitchen
.Tll do 'em, dear" said old grandmRmma
along to your sewing. ! hate to-. see your
pretty white hands in the dJSh-water:. -. +
'You, indeed ?" cried Hernia. lot as
long as l am here Why. hat are young
folks made for, If not tOzwait ON oldpeo-
ple2"
Helena does not always reason so, said
the old lady, little bitterly. - - =.
. "Oh. we'll, you see, Helena is inte elleetual
and writes poetry: Now i haven't the
brains for that sort of tilipg. even if ! cared
for (which l am sorry 10 say ! denst ann
so it stands to reason, you see, that should
be in the diSh-wateT." ss> 2
Accordingly, Hernia had washed tie
dishes and arranged them b neat order on;tfe.
whitely-seOuTed shelves, and had come out
to have a little domestic ellat With Helena.
"Got to be doue2 OF course it has gpf tie
be doneH TetOrtel Helena, IN patiently
+ land why can't We hire some one 10 do Il e q
=. Money reasons, Lena--RiOney reasons,
sagely answered Hernia v ane. I'VE CANT
afford it, --. -: 4 II ..:s.-' x
"0h, what a degradati9nit tits t. be poorN%'
sighed Helena lifting her turquoise blue
ewes to heaven. ',HeFmia, why In the Hanie
Of Midas and CrBSus, aud all those rich old
hrathens we read about didn't some. old
millionaire fall in love with us when we yis-3
tied Alice Cope, last Winter, In PFllsdel=
phia? Girls ia novels never 90 anywhere
without picking up at least half doze
"B1t we are notglrls in novels" laughed
''TheTe was Mark. .Hazeldne--you remem-
ber him, Hermy ?-that young man with the
splendid dusky eyes and white teeth. -: -. =.
II remember" said Hernia, blushing a
little in spite of herself. +: F.
~ know he tanried one OF us, or both.
Just think how often he used to come to
Alice's! If we could only have remained a
little while longer / feel certain he would
have become foregone coAclasion. And
+ ."WHat nonsense all this sisI9 impatientiy
eEied out HERMAN And what on earth
has it To- do with our spring hOuse-cleanipg2
There are ali the lower rooms 10 be re-
''And who is to do all this hard house.
maidy sort Otwork?" demanded Miss Nane,
with sbudder. #.. -
I'VE, of course, Helena, since ne can't
afford 10 lfave ii done" '. -. :; - .
II shan't touch it p ., - -
'.Then must" said Hernia, with the
cool independence which was part. of.her-
nature; with what help ETandmamma can
give me-. -: t..
Hernia, have yeusunk so low as 'to=bea
mere household drudge G'' severely de
Il haven't sunk sufficiently low Her
mia laughingIy retorted. ito lie in the dirt,
as long as ! am physically able to purify
my surroundings"
s:.-.s
A golden mid-April dayl The violets
making q: blue carpet along the sunny side
OF the orchard wall; the primr6ses writing
their hieroglyphics adOwn the course, of the
gHrgling stream; and Helena Vane was
practicing new song, with her blue-Tib-
bOned guitar, in the parlor. while Hernia
in the she'd at the foot OF the garden, was
mixing prodigious pail of whttewash, and
singing at her work as:merrily as if the
I,,l hall ~ To-,
her bristly brush a dainty needle, weaving
itself in and out of sIlken canvas. II: -.
She was, dressed appropriately to. her
work, this enterDTsing young damse, with
q crash apron tied around her trim waist,
and an impromptu n Normandy cap, made out
Of a pocket handkerchief, perched on her
head conceaiiBg the whole other bright hair,
except where one or two stray curls had es-
capped and hung Ike wondering spirals of
sunshine, On her blue-yeined brow. And if
Hernia Nane could only have known it, she
never looked prettier*in her life.
- "And now, grandmamma; l believe this
witches canldron offoaming snow is ready"
said Hernia gaily, land If you'll take hold
of the handles-iustto to steady: it, you know
I'll do all the lifting. We will begin opera
tiOns at once" -
While old Mrs. Vane and Hernia were
tOiling slowly up the garden walk with the
whiteWaSh tub between them an elegantly
dressed young gentleman. with diamond
studs in his shirt. bosom, straight cameo
like features and dark blue eyes trlDged by
long lashes, was advancing briskly up the
front path.
81 think this must be the house." said Mr..
Mark Hazeltine, "aS noar1y as | can guess
from the confused directions of that old
idiot at the railway station and"
But the current of his soliloquy was cut
short by the sudden appearance of a bri ght,
welcoming face in the door-Helena Yane
herself, in pale blue muslin with blue fllets
OF ribbons In her hair, a sash plctureSQuely
looped at the side and rOsetted slippers, like
q dream OF Cinderella
= Miss Vane, can you pardon this intru-
sion ?" he began, courteously lifting his hat.
'"0h, Mr.. Hazeline, / am so glad to see
you'll" cried Helena, extending both Of her
hands.
AT the same moment Hernia and the tub
Of whiteYash appeared around the corner of
the house. In her surprise at the sight of an
unexpected visitor-and the unexpected Wis
iter Of all uthers-HeTmia dropped her end
of the tub. coloTing as red as rose.
"Oh, my deaEp cried old Mrs. Vance
trying, but In vain, to save it, there goes
your whitewash" !"
e.: How do you do, Mr.. Hazeltine?" said
Hernia recovering her self-p0ssessiOn, and
advancing with pr0tfered hand.
''My sister is-ahem practicing for
masquerade" stammeted the. scandalized
ats no such thingp retorted Hernia,
:blIshing more vivid scarlet than ever.
. | am going to whitewash our back kitchen
ceiling"
""But can't help you?'' asked Mr.. Hazel
tine, laughing. 81 used to be a good hand
at the brush in my school-boy days"
"PVe no objection TO your trying" said
Hernia, gravely. but you'll have to boz
row sheet from grandmamma to cover up
your fine clothes."
IN risk the fine Clothes" said Mr.. Hazel
tine, resolutely...
'''Hermial Hernia! are you crazyP" pro-
tested Helena, turning. pink and white by
turns. go and change your dress at once
and come down to the parlor"
: mot until | have done my whitewasb-
ing." insisted her obdurate twin sister.
Remember, Mr.. Hazeltine, 1t was your
And Mr.. Hazeltine, looking into the sap
phire depths of those sparkling eyes, stood
to his colOrs.
"My own offerv' said he "Of course 1t
was; and shall feel too much hOnored by
Its acceptance"
And to Helena Vane's infinite disgust.
Mr.. Hazeltine spent the whole morning in
the kitchen, disguised in paper cap and a
piece of an old sheet, helping Hernia to