Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-05-26
CHAPTER V


Zelda's days ran on now much like
| those of other girls in Mariona. Be
tween Mrs. Forrest and Mrs. Carr. she
was well launched socially, and her
time was fully occupied. She overhauled
the house and changed its furnishings
| radically-while her father blinked at
the expenditures. Rodney Merriam,
dropping in often to chaff Zelda about
| her neglect of himself, rejoiced at the
| free way in which she contracted bills.
| The old mahogany from the garnet fit
ted into the house charmingly. The din
| gy walls were frightened with new pa
pers; the old carpets were taken up,
the floors stained, to save the trouble
! of putting down hardwood, and rugs
! bought
| Ezra Dameron's greatest shock was
the installing of the telephone in his
! house; but every one else in Mariona,
| SO Zelda assured him, had one; and it
would undoubtedly be of service to her
in many ways. Her real purpose was
to place herself in communication with
her aunt and uncle, whose help she
outwardly refused but secretly leaned
on.
Zelda did not disturb the black won1-
an in the kitchen, though she employed
a house-maid to supplement her ser
vices; but she labored patiently to cor
| rect some Of the veteran Polly's dis
tressing faults. Polly was good cook
in the haphazard fashion of her kind.
She could not read so that the cook
books which Zelda bought were of no
use to her. She shook her head over
book coOkin,' but Zelda. who dirnly
| remembered that her mother had spent
much time in the kitchen bought
supply of aprons and gave herself per-
sistently to culinary practice Or, she
sat and dictated to Polly from one ct
the recipe books while that amiable
soul mixed the ingredients; and then,
after the necessary interval of fear ana
hope, they opened the oven door and
| peered in anXiously upon triumph or
disaster.
a horse was duly purchased at Lex
ington, on an excursion planned and
managed by Mrs. Carr. They named
the little Hambletonian Nanthippe,
which Zelda changed to Fan, at her
uncle's suggestion. It was better. he
said, not to introduce any more of the
remoter letters of the alphabet into
the family nomenclature; and as they
/ dtti SS%tlN AiSttl Il II NOllAu bS uAAWASS ~
add X. Moreover, it was fitting that
| Zee should own Zani
| The possession of the pretty brown
| mare and a runabout greatly increased
! Zelda's range of activities. Her uncle
kept q saddle horse and he taught her
| how to ride and drive. He also, under
Ezra Dameron's very eyes. had the old
barn reconstructed, to make a proper
| abiding place for a Kentucky horse of
at least decent ancestry. and employed
a stabIe-bOy.
Zelda became daily more conscious
| of her fathers penurious ways, that
were always cropping out in the petty
| details OF the housekeeping. One even
! ing when he thought himself unob-
served, she saw him walking down the
| front stairway. avoiding the carpet on
the treads with difficult care Zelda
did not at first know what he was do
ing; but she soon found this TO be
only one OF his many whimsical econ
| omies. He overhauled the pantry now
and then, making an inventory of the
amount of flour, sugar and coffee in
| stock, and he still did part of the
marketing. Zelda had given the black
stable boy orders that Fan was to be
fed generously; and when she found
that her father was giving contrary
directions she said nothing. but con-
nived with the boy in the purchase OF
hay and corn to make good the def