smells like Mother was home.”
Louise stalked hurriedly to the dining room door.
“Harry Copley, just look here! Now, what did I tell you about college girls?”
Harry came and stood entranced.
“Oh, gee!” he murmured. “Isn’t that just great? Oh, say, Lou Copley, just gaze on that sideboard! I’ll tell the world this is some day!” And he strode to the sideboard and stopped all further speech by more than a mouthful of the fragrant gingercake.
The little housewife took swift steps to the kitchen door and sniffed. She took in the row of plump bread tins almost ready to go into the oven, the gently bubbling kettle with its fragrant steam, and the shining dresser with its neat rows of dishes that she had never been able to find, and then she whirled on her astonished brother.
“Harry Copley! You answered her real mean! You go upstairs and apologize quick! And then you beat it and change your clothes and get to work. I’ll help her. We’re going to work together after this, she and I.” And seizing a large slice of gingerbread in her passing, she flew up the stairs to find her sister.
Chapter 5
T hey appeared in the doorway suddenly, after a sound like locomotives rushing up the stairs, and surrounded her where she sat, after one astonished pause at the doorway staring around the unfamiliar room. They smothered her with hugs and kisses and demanded to know how she got so much done and what she wanted of them anyway, and they smeared her with gingerbread and made her glad; and then just as suddenly, Harry disappeared with the floating explanation trailing back after him:
“Oh, gee! I gotta beat it.”
A few rustling movements in his own little closet of a room, and he was back attired in an old Boy Scout uniform and cramming down the last bite of his gingerbread.
“Anything I can do before I go? Oh, here!” as he saw his sisters about to put the bed together. “That won’t take a second! Say, you girls don’t know how to do that. Lemme.”
And, surprising to state, he pushed them aside and whacked the bed together in no time, slatted on the mattress with his sturdy young arms, and was gone down through the dining room and out into the street with another huge slice of gingerbread in his hands.
Cornelia straightened her tired shoulders and looked at the subdued bed wonderingly. How handily he had done it! How strong he was! It was amazing.
Louise stood looking about with shining eyes.
“Say, Nellie, it looks lovely here, so clean and nice. I never thought it could be done; it looked so awful! I wanted to do something, and I know Mother felt fierce about not fixing his room before she left, but I just couldn’t get time.”
“Of course you couldn’t dear!” said Cornelia, suddenly realizing how wise and brave this little sister had been. “You’ve been wonderful to do anything. Why didn’t they send for me before, Louie? Tell me, how long had you been in this house before Mother was taken sick?”
“Why, only a day. She fainted, you know, trying to carry that marble bureau top upstairs, and fell down.”
“Oh! My dear!”
The two sisters stood with their arms about each other mingling their tears for a moment, and somehow as she stood there, Cornelia felt as if the years melted away, the college years while she had been absent, and brought her back heart and soul to her home and her loved ones again.
“But Louie, dear, what has become of the best furniture? Did they have to rent the old house furnished? I can’t find Mother’s mahogany or the parlor things, anything but the piano.”
The color rolled up into the little girl’s face, and she dropped her eyes. “Oh, no, Nellie. They went long ago,” she said, “before we even moved to the State Street house.”
“The State Street house?”
“Why, yes, Father sold the Glenside house just after you went to college. You knew that, didn’t you? And then we moved to an old yellow house farther toward the city. But it was pulled
Louise stalked hurriedly to the dining room door.
“Harry Copley, just look here! Now, what did I tell you about college girls?”
Harry came and stood entranced.
“Oh, gee!” he murmured. “Isn’t that just great? Oh, say, Lou Copley, just gaze on that sideboard! I’ll tell the world this is some day!” And he strode to the sideboard and stopped all further speech by more than a mouthful of the fragrant gingercake.
The little housewife took swift steps to the kitchen door and sniffed. She took in the row of plump bread tins almost ready to go into the oven, the gently bubbling kettle with its fragrant steam, and the shining dresser with its neat rows of dishes that she had never been able to find, and then she whirled on her astonished brother.
“Harry Copley! You answered her real mean! You go upstairs and apologize quick! And then you beat it and change your clothes and get to work. I’ll help her. We’re going to work together after this, she and I.” And seizing a large slice of gingerbread in her passing, she flew up the stairs to find her sister.
Chapter 5
T hey appeared in the doorway suddenly, after a sound like locomotives rushing up the stairs, and surrounded her where she sat, after one astonished pause at the doorway staring around the unfamiliar room. They smothered her with hugs and kisses and demanded to know how she got so much done and what she wanted of them anyway, and they smeared her with gingerbread and made her glad; and then just as suddenly, Harry disappeared with the floating explanation trailing back after him:
“Oh, gee! I gotta beat it.”
A few rustling movements in his own little closet of a room, and he was back attired in an old Boy Scout uniform and cramming down the last bite of his gingerbread.
“Anything I can do before I go? Oh, here!” as he saw his sisters about to put the bed together. “That won’t take a second! Say, you girls don’t know how to do that. Lemme.”
And, surprising to state, he pushed them aside and whacked the bed together in no time, slatted on the mattress with his sturdy young arms, and was gone down through the dining room and out into the street with another huge slice of gingerbread in his hands.
Cornelia straightened her tired shoulders and looked at the subdued bed wonderingly. How handily he had done it! How strong he was! It was amazing.
Louise stood looking about with shining eyes.
“Say, Nellie, it looks lovely here, so clean and nice. I never thought it could be done; it looked so awful! I wanted to do something, and I know Mother felt fierce about not fixing his room before she left, but I just couldn’t get time.”
“Of course you couldn’t dear!” said Cornelia, suddenly realizing how wise and brave this little sister had been. “You’ve been wonderful to do anything. Why didn’t they send for me before, Louie? Tell me, how long had you been in this house before Mother was taken sick?”
“Why, only a day. She fainted, you know, trying to carry that marble bureau top upstairs, and fell down.”
“Oh! My dear!”
The two sisters stood with their arms about each other mingling their tears for a moment, and somehow as she stood there, Cornelia felt as if the years melted away, the college years while she had been absent, and brought her back heart and soul to her home and her loved ones again.
“But Louie, dear, what has become of the best furniture? Did they have to rent the old house furnished? I can’t find Mother’s mahogany or the parlor things, anything but the piano.”
The color rolled up into the little girl’s face, and she dropped her eyes. “Oh, no, Nellie. They went long ago,” she said, “before we even moved to the State Street house.”
“The State Street house?”
“Why, yes, Father sold the Glenside house just after you went to college. You knew that, didn’t you? And then we moved to an old yellow house farther toward the city. But it was pulled
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