The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-01-05
4 sCRUBBING STORY.

"A SIOK1.
us she coming to visit your" said
Eric Hale, with a slight grimace. "Inat
| simper;4lg, fine lady, with the useless
white hands and shallow little society
laugh! Oh, Aunt Della, pack my port
manteau and let me off on a lecturing
tour until Flora Lees visit comes TO
an cnd!"
Mrs. Dove looked a little disappoint-
ed. To confess the truth she had espec-
tally arranged this visit with reference
to her nephew Eric.
"He's a fine young fellow" she had
said to herself with true feminine d.
plomacy, with an excellent parish and
fine prospects-and it's high time he was
settled in life with a wife. And I think
Flora Lee would suit him-exactly"
And here was the young man him.
self upsetting this charming castle In
the air without the least scruple OF con-
science. like the modern inconOclast
that he was.
"Wel, Eric" said Mrs. Dove, des-
pairingly, "Tll write to her not to come.
OF course I don't want to put you out,
just when you're 81 busy, TOO, with
that course of lectures on the Book of
Revelations but 1 really thought that
Flora would make the house lively"
"She's a deal too artificial to suit
me-" said Eric Hale. ASK her to come
in June. when l shall be off to Omaha
and Nevada on that conference busi-
ness. But as for a visitor, I would
much prefer little Polly Peppercoln's
big wax doll. with the silky black hair,
and the staring black eyes that open
and shut by machinery"
So Mrs. Dove, choking back the tears
of disappointment (for she had been
nursing this pet scheme in secret Tor a
long whitley sat down and wrote a let
ter to her friend Miss Lee, postponing
the proposed %sojourn at Cedarbough
farm until roses should be in bloom
and strawberries begin to ripen.
"Adonijah," said she to the hired
man, take this letter to the postotfice.'
Yes, en-" said Adonijah, and he
put the letter in his pocket and straight
way forgot all about it.
1t was a dismal rainy morning In
April, the yellow jonquils beaten to the
ground, the very wild violets shutting
their eyes as if in unmitigated disgust
at the unpromising state of the wealth
er. Overhead racks of gray clouds
scudded across the heavens, and the lit
tie sheet of silver lakelet under the hill
was dotted and dimpling all over with
the falling rain as if pierced with a
thousand tiny javelins.
Its no use trying" said Mrs. Dove,
plaintively. The fates themselves
have conspired against me-"
The carpets were up.the pals OF
whitewash stood steaming in the mid
die Of the parlor floor, and Mrs. Dove
herself, with her grey curls tied up In
a yellow damask pocket handkerchief,
which her great uncle had brought
from China half a century ago, sat cry
ing on the lower ledge of a %stepladder.
For Betsey, the help, had fallen down
the cellar stairs and broken her leg,
and Mrs. Muloney, the charwoman, had
sent a message that her son had just
broken out "wid the maisels, sure
speckled over like a shower of red pep
per-an' sorra a bit of clanin' could she
undertake for her until the wakes
over"
"And these three days Of all the 9th
ers," sighed Mrs. Dove, when Eric had
exchanged pulpits with Mr.. Wash
burne. And he so dislikes house-clean-
ing; and"
Dear me, Mrs. Dove, what is the
matterw
Mrs. Dove started to her feet with a
little scream-for there exactly as if
she had rained down out of the grey,
uncompromising zenith, stood Flora
Lee herself in q trim brown travelling
dress. with a neat little handbag, a Cos
samer waterproof cloak and a silk UNI
brella.
why, FloraV cried she, chow came
you here?'
by the train, Of COURSE" said Miss
Lee; land l walked from the station"
II wrote to you not to come" said
Mrs. Dove, in CONSERVATION.
"But | never received any such let
ter" said Miss Lee. Shall I go away
again.
mo, you darling. you shall do moth
ing Of the Sort" said Mrs. Dove, enthu-
s~iastically. 1T is only because-be-
cause we were housecleaning."
i am not afraid of house-cleaning,"
said Flora. II see how 1t is," with q
comprehensive glance around the scene
of confusion, land I am going to help
you through with it."
"You?" said Mrs. Dove.
eyes, l." replied Flora. "Why not?
Just lend me Il of Betsy's old dresses.
Where is Retsy, by the. way"
Her father has just carried her home
in the wagon. She has broken her leg"
H"And your charwoman?'
ooh, dear! Oh, dear!' said Mrs.
Dove. She's got a visitation Of measles
or smallpox OR some other disease in
her family. And my nephew, Eric,
is to be gone three days, and I am sure
could finish the Misunderstanding while
he Is absent"
"Apd we WILL" said Flora, cheerily.
How can weY'
ooh, you shall see," nodded Miss
Lee. :
And, depressed though she was. Mrs.
Dove began to feel the mercury rise
In her mental thermometer at once.
Flora Lee arrayed herself in one of
Betsy's cast-off c~alicoes, tied up her
brown tresses in a sweating-cap, and
went vigorously to work with a scrub
bling brush, while Mrs. Dove bent her
attention to the windows, and Adoni-
jan, with more zeal than discretion,
splashed whiteWash all over herself
and the floor with laudable impartial
fty.