The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-11-04
The SCattererS >
By Carroll Watson Rankin.

What! Cleaning day again!'' ex-
pOstulated Eleanor, as she came in and
began to heap her books on the already
crowded mantel Il can't see why peo-
pie have to be continually sweeping
and dusting!"
Where's my muf1er?" demanded
Oliver. Il left it right here on the
bookcase"
you'll find 1t on your nail in the
coat closet" returned Mrs. Drake. give
explained before that the top of that
bookcase is not the proper place for
outside wraps. Eleanor, unless you
want your rubbers covered with dust,
think you'd better not leave them in
the parlor."
my Senses!" groaned Mr. Drake,
coming in two minutes later, leaving
large muddy tracks in the hall and
tossing an armful of papers into the
nearest chair. Il can't see why this
house has to be torn up and scrubbed
every fifteen minutes. Between Tim
at the Office and you at home breathe
nothing but soapsuds."
Its precisely two weeks since I've
touched broom" returned the sweep
er. outwardly serene "You people
seem to think that like to clean, that
like to roughen my hands and cover
myself with dust, loathe it. I'd new
er dust if | didn't have to; but we'd
simply be buried alive under ashes
from the furnace, SCOT from the fuTn-
ace, mud from the street, newspapers,
Schoolbooks, overshoes and clothing if
somebody didn't clean house period
1cal1y. / mean to get this room done
before noon, but it took me almost an
hour to dispose of the litter on the
piano top. If l ever have a chance to
acquire brand new family, shall
choose an orderly one"
The Drake part of the family was
certainly not orderly; Oliver and
Eleanor were Enthusiastically brakes.
Particular almost to business in the
matter of dress and personal cleanli-
ness, Mr.. Drake and the two children
were alarmingly careless with all their
belongings. Without realizing the
fact, they made a great deal of extra
work for the caretaking portion of
their little world. Moreover, Mrs.
Drake, the principal sufferer from their
heedlesSness, was far too lenient to-
ward the shortcomings of her family.
Their undeserved approaches, however,
cut her to the quick.
1.-THE world" she sighed, as she
reached under the sofa for Eleanor's
muff, sis made up of scatterers and
pickers-up. The brakes are scatterers.
4 suppose we Risleys are pickers-up.
The hardest part of it is that the scat
tereIs are born with a rooted antipathy
for anything that resembles house
cleaning. The sight of a broom invar-
dably brings down all the Drake wrath
On my Risley head
Mrs. Drake hoped to have her house
In perfect order by two o'clock; but
when Eleanor bounced in at three, the
NOW thoroughly discouraged lady was
directing Kathleen's efforts to manipu-
late a long-handled mop. Untidy
Kathleen, who might have been born
a Drake rather than McGinnis, was
mopping everything but the floor.
"Oh, don't slop the Dashboard"
pleaded Mrs. Drake, "and don't run
into the chair legs-and please spare
my shoes! oh, give me that mop!"
''Still cleaning!" groaned Eleanor,
who was growing plump from lack CT
exercise II believe you'd rather clean
than eat But it certainly does look !
better. Til ask the Sorority in to-
night for a marshmallow roast"
That evening the girls toasted
marshmallows over the glowing Goals
and likewise pepper corn. Moreover,
Oliver drifted lightly in with two boys |
and large bag of peanuts. Later old
Captain Baldwin, who was VIGOROUSLY
nntidy with his pipe, dropped in for
protracted chat with Mr.. Drake, whose
large shoes had carried in their usual
burden OF mud.
BY the cold light of the following
day the first floor of the Drake house
was a "sight"-no less. Mud, peanut |
shells, popcorn, -four from the marsh
mallows, mingled with ashes and to-
Ihacco from Captain Baldwin's pipe. lit
tered the rugs and furniture Books, I;
newspapers and prints from various
portfolios had been dragged forth by |
che needless young persons. and moth +!