ert dryly as he shut the
door. "But didn't anyone ever mention to you that gentlemen wipe their
feet before entering strange houses?" He surveyed a line of wet paw
prints across the brick floor.

"Did he get all wet, the poor little--" Ricky was on her knees,
stretching out her hand and positively cooing. The cat put down the paw
he had been licking and regarded her calmly out of round, yellow eyes.
Then he returned to his washing. Val laughed.

"Evidently he is used to the strong, silent type of human, Ricky. I
wonder where he belongs."

"He belongs to us now. Yes him does, doesn't him?" She attempted to
touch the visitor's head. His ears went back and he showed sharp teeth
in no uncertain manner.

"Better let him alone," advised Rupert. "He doesn't seem to be the kind
you can cuddle."

"So I see." Ricky arose to her feet with an offended air. "One would
think that I resembled the more repulsive members of my race."

"In the meantime," Rupert again sought the cupboard, "let's eat."

Half an hour later, fed and well content (even Satan, as the Ralestones
had named their visitor because of his temperament, having condescended
to accept some of the better-done bits of bacon), they sat about the
table staring at the dishes. Now it is a very well-known fact that
dishes do _not_ obligingly leap from a table into a pan of well-soaped
water, slosh themselves around a few times, and jump out to do a spot of
brisk rubbing down. But how nice it would be if they did, thought Val.

"The dishes--" began Ricky in a faint sort of way.

"Must be done. We gather that. How utterly nasty bacon grease looks when
it's congealed." Her younger brother surveyed the platter before him
with mournful interest.

"And the question before the house is, I presume, who's going to wash
them?" Rupert grinned. "This seems to be as good a time as any to put
some sort of a working plan in force. There is a certain amount of
so-called housework which has to be done. And there are three of us to
do it. It's up to us to apportion it fairly. Shall we say, let everyone
care for his or her own room--"

"There are also the little matters of washing, and ironing, and
cleaning," Ricky broke in to remind him.

"And we're down to fifty a month in hard cash. But the tenant farmer on
the other side of the bayou is to supply us with fresh fruit and
vegetables. And our wardrobes are fairly intact. So I think that we can
afford to hire the washing done. We'