through. Only the kitchen was left,
but we decided we could clean that early next day; so we sat down to
sew and to plan the next day's dinner. We could hear Mr. Stewart out
in the barn hammering and sawing on the "chist."

While we were debating whether to have fried chicken or trout for
dinner, two little girls, both on one horse, rode up. They entered
shyly, and after carefully explaining to us that they had heard that a
wagon-load of women were buying everything they could see, had run Mr.
Holt off, and were living in his house, they told us they had come to
sell us some blueing. When they got two dollars' worth sold, the
blueing company would send them a big doll; so, please, would we buy a
lot?

We didn't think we could use any blueing, but we hated to disappoint
the little things. We talked along, and presently they told us of
their mother's flowers. Daniel had told us his mother _always_ had a
red flower in her kitchen window. When the little girls assured us
their mother had a red geranium in bloom, Mrs. O'Shaughnessy set out
to get it; and about dark she returned with a beautiful plant just
beginning to bloom. We were all as happy as children; we had all
worked very hard, too. Mr. Stewart said we deserved no sympathy
because we cleaned a perfectly clean house; but, anyway, we felt much
better for having gone over it.

The "chist" was finished early next morning. It would have looked
better, perhaps, if it had had a little paint, but as we had no paint
and were short of time, we persuaded ourselves it looked beautiful
with only its clean, pretty curtain. We didn't make many changes in
the kitchen. All we did was to take down the mirror and turn it
lengthways above the mantel-shelf over the fireplace. We put the new
rocker in the bright, sunny corner, where it would be easier for dim
old eyes to see to read or sew. We set the geranium on the broad clean
sill of the window, and I think you would have agreed with us that it
was a cozy, cheerful home to come to after fifteen years of lonely
homelessness. We couldn't get the dinner question settled, so we
"dished in dirty-face"; each cooked what she thought best. Like
Samantha Ann Allen, we had "everything good and plenty of it."

Elizabeth took a real interest and worked well. She is the _dearest_
girl and would be a precious daughter to some mother. She has not yet
told us anything about herself. All we know is, she taught school
somewhere in the East. She w