e patience to keep repeating the same thing fifty times and if she
gives an order and they don't pay attention she drops it right
there. I'm not blaming her--she's fat and has plenty of money and
likes to be comfortable; she must be fifty years old, too, and at
her time of life it's only fair to expect to have a little peace.
But I know the Willis family, and giving in to the girls is the
worst thing you can do. I get wore out lots of times and knuckle
down, but Dr. Hugh won't. I've been watching him, the little time
he's been here, and I'll bet he can hold out against even Rosemary."

"I suppose it's her red hair," said Mrs. Hollister vaguely.

"Rosemary is an angel from heaven," declared Winnie, loyally rising
to the defense of the absent. "She's always been the sweetest child
the Lord ever made and when she was a baby I could never bear to
scold her because she'd look at me so sad-like from those big blue
eyes of hers. But Rosemary has the Willis will and the Willis
temper and when she is on her high horse the house won't hold her.
Sooner or later she's going to try to have her way against the young
doctor's orders and then there will be war. All the girls are
getting out of hand now, anyway, what with their mother sick and the
house upset and no regular plan to follow. I caught Sarah yesterday
making her breakfast off of lemonade, raisin pie and fancy cakes."

"She's a queer one, that Sarah," said Mrs. Hollister, chuckling.
"She nearly frightened the little Percey girl into fits showing her
a live snake one afternoon."

"Sarah's got a good heart, if you can find it," declared Winnie,
"but unless you handle her just right, you're in for a peck of
trouble. Rosemary's temper blazes up and burns fierce enough dear
knows, but it burns itself out good and clean and leaves a good
clean ash. Now you take Sarah--she goes into a fit of the sulks and
likely as not she won't speak to anyone in the house for a week."

"She would if she was my child," announced Mrs. Hollister grimly.
"I'd soon shake that out of her."

"It's my private belief that you can't shake anything out of Sarah,
once she makes up her mind to it," said Winnie solemnly. "She's got
the Willis will and that is a caution. Even Shirley, six years old
and looking like a cherub straight from above, even Shirley has got
a temper of her own and as for will--well you try to make that baby
do a thing she says she won't do. The Willis will is something to
reckon