?"

"Why, you know we couldn't have both and there were never any preserves.
Sometimes there were stewed apples, the dried kind, and they were not so
very bad when they were sweet enough and had a lot of lemon flavor in
them. I used to ask Ellen to do them that way and she always would,
except when Aunt Elizabeth was in the kitchen and then she had to do as
Aunt Elizabeth told her. If you have more preserves than you can use,
don't you think you could send her some, mother? You see we shall not be
here to eat them, Celia and I, and you won't have to use so many."

"That is an idea. Why, yes, I can send some in every week when you go,
and Celia can tell Aunt Elizabeth to have them for your supper."

"How will she tell her?" asked Edna, feeling that this was an ordeal
that she would not like to go through.

"Why, it will be very easy to say, 'Aunt Elizabeth, here are some
preserves mother thought would be nice for supper to-night.' Don't you
think that would be easy to say?"

"Ye-es," returned Edna a little doubtful if this would have the proper
effect. "I think myself it would be better to let Ellen have them or
Uncle Justus."

Her mother laughed. Edna's awe of Aunt Elizabeth was so very apparent.

"There is one thing I wish you would promise," the little girl went on,
"and that is, that you will always have hot cakes on Saturday mornings
so I can have butter and syrup both."

"I promise," replied her mother smiling.

"I know Louis is mighty glad not to be going back," Edna continued, "and
I'm rather glad he isn't myself, for this year I shall have Celia."

"I thought you were fond of Louis."

"I am pretty fond of him, but I'd rather have girls about all the time
than boys all the time. Girls fuss with you, of course. They get mad and
won't speak, but I'd liefer they'd do that than try to boss you the way
boys do. Mother, there is another thing I wish you would do, and that is
I wish you would tell Aunt Elizabeth that she will please let Dorothy
come to play with me sometimes. Dorothy is my particular friend, you
know, and Aunt Elizabeth will never allow me to have her visit me unless
you say she can."

"Did she never allow you to have company last winter?"

Edna shook her head and a sigh escaped her.

"I will arrange that Dorothy shall come," said her mother quite firmly.

"It's going to be much nicer than last year," remarked Edna in a
satisfied tone, "for I shall always have Celia to go to, and you wi