t! That's what I call a
man's work, Miss Betty. How many do you want?"

"Well, I want two kinds; first about a quart of ordinary ones, and the
rest the very biggest in the garden; here are two baskets for them, and
you may pick in one as you go along, and in the other lay the big
berries on the freshest, prettiest strawberry leaves you can find. I
want eight berries apiece for us--let me see--eight times four--" but
Jack was off before she finished.

"Now, girls," Miss Betty said, as she tied on her own apron, "we will go
right out to the kitchen and begin. But first, Brownie, can you lay the
table for us?"

"Cer-tain-ly I can," said Brownie, proudly. "You can just tell me what
you are going to have to eat, and show me where you keep things, and I
can do it all alone."

So Miss Betty gave her a pretty square lunch-cloth to put cornerwise on
the round table, and showed her where she kept the napkins and silver
and china. "We are going to have creamed chicken, and iced cocoa, and
salad, and strawberry shortcakes," she said.

"Hot plates for the chicken," murmured Brownie, counting out four, "and
cold plates for salad; tall glasses for cocoa; hot or cold plates for
shortcake, Miss Betty?"

"Just warm, I think. I'll help you carry all these out to the kitchen so
they will be ready when we want them. And are you sure you do not want
me to help you put on the silver?"

But Brownie shook her head, and went on talking to herself as she
arranged the forks:

"Never use knives except to cut up meat with; so forks for creamed
chicken, and forks for salad, both on the right, because everybody is
right-handed; and the chicken fork farthest away, because that comes
first, and the salad fork next the plate, because that comes after.
Shall I put on a fork or a spoon for the shortcake?"

"We shall need both, but I think we will lay those right on the plates
when we put them on the table. Here are the finger-bowls; we will put
them on these small, pretty plates with a little doily under each bowl;
and to-day we will stand them at the top of the place, not directly in
front."

"Mother always puts the fruit plate and finger-bowl right down in the
middle of the front," said Brownie, doubtfully; "not at the top."

"That is the way when you are going to eat an orange or peach on the
plate; but you will see by and by why it is different to-day. Now I know
Mildred wants me in the kitchen, so I'll leave you to finish the table
all