The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-06-06
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ciated by her, because she lived en-
tirely under the little zenith and hor-
lion of her own skull. These traits
made Rilla an uncomfortable house
mate, especially in winter, when the
twins were showed in with their books
and trim housekeeping. Still, Infant
loved Rilla's sourness along with
Rilla. There was strong diversion
in being scolded, and she always felt
such delicious warmth around her
heart when she made it up with Rilla
and gave her handsome present, or
took double turns at the cooking.
Rilla was very parsimonious, and
felt bound to distort herself with
aged gowns and long boarded hats.
But Infant felt unhappy in any color
except that tint of gray which has the
thought of wine in it. On this very
rose day, though it was early in the
morning, she wore clinging gray
dress of that light wool texture called
"shally" by the dry goods dealer in
Jersey Centre. And a good back
ground it would make for the roses
Infant could hang upon it.
Nothing made Rilla lift the corners
of her nose higher than Infants
flower days. But, as Rilla would be
lifting her nose anyhow, and could
really scent no harm in these silent
festivals, Infant continued to observe
them year after year, and to afford
her sister that triumphant sense of
superiority which we all have upon
beholdipg others absurdities.
There was crocus day, when the
first flowers broke the sod and made
heavenly beauty in the dark spring.
Infant decked herself with them,
and put them on the dinner table.
More abundantly satisfactory, how
ever, was lilac day. 1t took a criti-
cal eye to discern the exact day. If
the lilacs Drowned about the edges,
then, alas! lilac day had slipped
past. They were not to be gathered
too soon, either. if their full soul of
fragrance was to be enjoyed. On
lilac day Infant walked under bur-
dens of lavender bloom. The walls,
the pictures, breathed lilacs. And at
night she went to sleep crushing her
face into a nest of punches, so that
she had lilac dreams, and drew the
sweetness into herself, like an east
ern woman absorbing roses.
But the best day of all was rose
day. Before it arrived she had al
ways ready posy of poems from
Keats, Wordsworth, Jean Ingelow and
Whittier, and read them in the morn
ing while the dew was on the world.
The Baldwin girls cultivated a great
many roses. Rilla could hardly miss
from her rose water and home made
altar and rose preserves the heaps
which Infant cut for her nonsense.
There was not nicer day in the
year than rose day, if Rilla would
only abstain from boiling soap on that
date. The sisters had inherited sew
enty-five thousand dollars apiece, but
they made their own soap every
spring of refuse fats and the I've of
wood ashes. 1t could have been
made cold in the cellar, if that way
had not been too easy for Rilla. She
held it movable festival, like rose
day, and no one will ever gauge the
degree of satisfaction she felt in call
ing her fower-wreathed sister to the
vile-smelling cauldron to keep the
stirrer going while she set about other
duties. Rilla honored pioneer Gus
tom and her grandmother's memory
by performing her soap lamentations
in the oldest, mouldiest, most COM
pletely shattered garment she poss-
essed. This was red wool delaine,
so abased from its ruby tone that the
drippings of the I've gourd could find
little remaining space to burn or
spot.
They boiled soap in huge iron
kettle in the chip yard. The blue
wood smoke would envelop Rilla and
her furnished tatters as she ladled
and tested, until she looked witch
like to passers along the road. Her
unhappy victim, the slim woman in
gray, with rope of roses wound
spirally around her from head to foot,
a burden of roses on her bosom, and
roses studded thickly along the band
of her hat, sat on the corded wood as
far as Rilla would allow from the
soap, alternately inhaling their odor
and rejecting the alkali stream. If
Infant had to stir the soap, she would
have a long handled stirrer. The
hot sun, beating on the chip yard
and her huge hat, smote also the
o,osIok