Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-08-17

Mrs. Bilberry closed the door soft
ly and stepped out into the crisp
October afternoon She had her
head well up and looked round her
with the keenest pleasure. The con-
scIousness of the ncighborly kindness
she planned gave her the sensation of
a deserved holiday-the right to en-
JOY the world.
Poor thing" she thought, COM
passionately, cts hard for her.
There's nothing more treacherous
than a bad sprain. Well, 1 guess Il
cen hold out as long as she peedaz
me-"
Back in tbos snadeu sitting-room
Mrs. -Petty lay with two red spots
| burning in her cheeks. Even now
that her caller had gone she could
not relax. Her thoughts kept cir
cling about the morning; she even
found herself counting the hours be-
fore her neighbor would reappear
When Rachel came home from school,
her mother called excitedly:
Rachel, come here, quick"
Rachel dropped her books and ran
into the room. She was a slender
little creature, Nth a thin, sensitive
face, and her eyes were dark with
alarm, but she tried to speak quietly.
What is it, mother?" she asked.
Are you worse? Shall 1 run for
the doctor?"
Mrs. Petty was sitting up on the
lounge, her face twitching with ex-
element. Go right upstairs and
put on your old work dress" she or
dered. No. I'm not sick, child; I'm
just upset. You do as / say"
Rachel hurried upstairs without a
word. n less than five minutes she
was back. Her small face might have
been a mirror rejecting her mothers
anxiety, but she still asked no ques-
tons. Rachel had always been
"grown-lp in her ways" and her in
buttons were fine and unerring. Her
mother looked at her, worried lines
furrowing her forehead
Its too bad to take your Friday
afternoon, Rachel" she said, but
I don't see any other way. Mrs. Bill
berry's just been in, and says she's
coming over to do the cooking to-
morrow morning. I told her you
could do all we'd need, but that
didn't make any difference; she'd
made up her mind to come, and she's
coming. She said she'd be over by
nine o'clock
Rachel grasped the situation in
stantly, and her face sharpened with
dismay. She was her mothers own
daughter.
"And the kitchen hasn't been
cleaned yeti" she gasped. You
were leaving it till the last"
I'D like to lock the door to-mor-
row morning!" her mother cried.
But Rachel was wholly concerned
with actualities. She well knew the
futility of locking a door against
Mrs. Bilberry, either literally or fig
uratively.
Il coul7 clean some," she said,
but I uldnt reach the highest
places, and it would show the differ
eDce.'
Indeed, you're not going to climb
round any step-ladders, her mother
declared, emphatically "One sprained
ankle in the family is enough. But
you can put fresh papers on the
lower shelves in the pantry aud clean
out the kitchen closet a little, and
I'm afraid you'll have to wipe up
the floor.
Rachel nodded. She went out to
the kitchen and put on a kettleful of
water to heat. Then she set resolute-
ly to work upon the kitchsn closet.
Every housekeeper knows the
moral depravity OF a kitchen closet.
When at last kettles, pots and pans
were restored to their places it was
haIf-past four. Rachel gave a glance
at the kitchen closet clock and then
sea her lips resolutely.
They'll have to have bread and
Esilk for supper tonight. she said.
She cleaned the stove next and
secured the kitchen table, and then