both societies said let the
other one send it. They had to sit up all night by turn for the rest
of the winter to keep the fire, for fear it would go out while they
were asleep.

Roxanne and I were terribly distressed that such a hard thing as being
night watchman should happen to those old people, but the Idol said it
was just as well that one should sleep while the other watched, so
that they wouldn't have any mutual time to discuss religion. That was
a very practical view for a genius to take of the question and I was
surprised at him.

And while the situation looks very bad for churches to get into, it
has been fortunate for me. I have been able to buy a lot of things at
all the stores for them, because I am an Episcopalian, and just one
girl can't be considered a church society. I'm the only one of my kind
in town. Roxanne has helped me and we have bought with discretion as
well as liberality, I think. After we had bought all the groceries
Uncle Pompey could suggest to us, and in quantities as large as would
go into all the corners of the kitchen of the Satterwhites' little
cottage, we began to make the house as beautiful as we thought those
good old people deserved, never having had anything beautiful in all
their lives before.

First, we put the most expensive paper on all the walls, because we
found that the largest-flowered paper was what we needed, and it
happened to be a special kind that the paper man had to order by
telegram to be sent by express; for neither we, nor those old people
who are approaching the ends of their lives, could afford to wait. It
looked lovely when it was all on and it matched the velvet carpets,
which also had big flowers, good and gay.

Of course, both Roxanne and I know better than to choose plush
furniture, but that was what Mrs. Satterwhite wanted, and they were
going to live in the cottage, not us. Father was pleased when I told
him what a big bill there would be at the furniture man's and said:

"Good for you, Phil. I didn't think you could do so well as that."

It took nearly two weeks of all our spare time, with Mamie Sue, when
she could escape Belle, helping and Tony occasionally, to get the
Satterwhites settled in their luxury; and then I decided to ask them
both seriously and separately if there was another desire of their
hearts left ungratified.

"Well," said Mr. Satterwhite, as he stretched his feet in his new
velvet slippers that matched the carpet in that roo