The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-12-20

But 'Tunia wasn't going to leave the
house untidy for the strange girl to
come into. Not she.
She was going to leave everything
spick and span, a credit to herself and
to her mistress.
BY o'clock in the morning she had
swept and busted all the living rooms,
polished all the kitchen utensils,
scrubbed the .oilcloth, cleaned the
steps, and polished the knocker, and
not till then did she feel at liberty to
make herself cup of tea and sit down
to it.
She didn't want any breakfast. She
was too excited to eat. The prospect
of long day at the palace not only
with her own policeman, but with
hundreds of policemen. had set her
brain in whirl, and when your brain
is whirling you can't eat. But of
course you can drink a cup of tea.
Tea is good for the whirling brain.
At Mrs. Cheney came downstairs,
and was astonished at the progress
TUNA had made with the housework.
You'll be tired out, child, before
the day begins" she said, in her moth
erly way. you've got long day at
the Palace fete before you, and a
fete's firing work when you amt used
to it."
"Lor' bless you, num-" replied
TUNA, ltd take more nor a days
work and days pleasure to do me
up: and my young man says as there's
lovely grass to sit on when you're
tired O. dancin' to the police band.
But lor'! l think could dance to
police band all day long; it's such
change from regular work, amt it,"
Mrs. Cheney thought that it must be.
The idea of doing the regular work of
"a respectable house while dancing to
a police band struck her as pleasant
but improbable.
TUNA put in another couple of
hours hard labor, going about her
tasks with such light heart that she
found herself singing the popular airs
Of the day outside the doors Of the
lodgers' rooms without knowing 1t.
1t didn't matter about "The Horse
the Missis Dries the Clothes On" out.
side old Mr.. Tossiter's door, because
he slept "heavy," and 'Tunia had to
bank her knucl1les red against tho
woodwork to wake him, but she was
highly indignant with herself when it
suddenly occurred to her that she was
singing Come and Have a Glass
Along O Me" in Miss Wilson's sitting
room. and that only the folding doors
divided that young lady from tho
sound Of the Bacchanalian invitation.
For Miss Wilson had taken to dress in
black. and had suffered certain be-
reavement which had made her very
sad for time. She had told Mrs.
Cheney that a relative in the country
had died.
Tuna was very sorry, for certainly
the death Of her relative had made
Miss Wilson quite different from what
she used to be.
She went to business Just as usual
and came home Just as regularly, but
she didn't come down and talk to Mrs.
Cheney, and she seemed to be worried
and want to be by herself.
Now. II TUNA had sung outside the
drawing room door 1t wouldn't have
mattered bit, for the drawing room
was empty, Mr.. Allister and his sister |
having left quite Unexpectedly and
gone to live in another part of Lon.
don.
TUNA told Mrs. Cheney about her
lapse Of decorum. and expressed a
hope that Miss Wilson didn't hear her.
Mrs. Cheney laughed
I'D ha' wished she had, 'Tunia." she
said. III could have thought as It
would have chee,ed her up. / can't
make her out. There's something on,
her mind, I'm sure; and don't think
it's only that relative in the country"
Mrs. Cheney had her own ideas.
which was that her parlor had refused
the driving rooms offer Of marriage
for some reason, and that now she
was fretting because the drawing
room had left.
But. of course, she could not tell
TUNA that
No rtght-minded landlady discusses
her dodgers love affairs with the gen.
eral.'