The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors

country servant to the ways of civilization. Many times did she think of Miss Louise's

girls had to go off with nothing more comforting on their little insides than cold bread and milk. That wa

had to have an early breakfast for someone?" asked Hel

in': let 'um fill up on what col' v

hich they had brought with them from camp, but the girl seemed to think there

ere box," she asserted. "It mus' hab a kinder debble in i

e had put in the cooker the night before, determined that her

to the fireless cooker," laughed Helen. "What makes

got in it," and Chloe rolled her great

r turned down," and Helen righted the

ssu

it just as I show

cheers up to it, but all the gals is got ter d

et the table set as quickly as possi

ekly to the dining-ro

biscuit, and see if they are burning," cried He

he table she hastened to the kitc

you look at

ready to burn. I guess the

out?" and poor Helen thought maybe sh

done caution me not to be too frisky 'bout doin' things 'til the whit

hought Helen. "I could at lea

elen wondered if she had enough material to go on to evolve even a passable servant. Anyhow she meant to try. She dete

comfortable, well-furnished home; Douglas to make her début in Richmond society and the other girls continue at school. As for money-why not just make bills? They had perfectly good credit, and what was credit for but to use? Dr. Wright had been so stern with

on her mistress, feared Chloe would be pressed into lady's maid service, too. Indeed Mrs. Carter attempted it, b

l up. When Helen remonstrated and made her take all the covers off to air before making the beds she obeyed, but put the covers back on regardless of sequence, with counterpanes next to the mattress and sheets on to

her in her tribulations. Her days were full to running over, beginning very early in the morning and ending only after the family was fed at night. The cooking was n

on. She was the same lovely little creature he had married and he was not unreasonable enough to expect her to be anything else. He did not think it strange that his little canary could not turn herself into a raven and feed him when he was hungry.

immons that the frost had nipped just enough to make delicious. Mr. Carter was often able to bring her in a partridge or a young hare. On the whole life wasn't so bad. When one felt perfectly well, semi-invalidism was a pretty pleasant state. As for society: the count was a frequent visitor and the ladies from Grantl

be laughed away,-Chloe was no joke. Accustomed to trained, highly-paid servants to do her b

needed nails and Helen having run up to Grantly to ask the advice of Miss Ella on the best way to preserve some late pears. A knock and Chloe promptly

a' fell up I wouldn't 'a' got ma'ied dis year," an

oung ladies at home?" Mrs. Carter

up this here ole shack, an' Miss Douglas is done gone ter her teachin' job an' Miss

rs. Carter?" in

n' on the sofy try

ll?" soli

too lazy ter chaw an' has ter hav

u please take

there

card crushed in her eager hand, to discover that the wretched girl was in her stocking feet; capless, with her wr

our cap?" exclaime

t about it. It do make my haid

your

em fer big mee

r apron in the back? Put

y ap'on was clean, so I jes' slid it 'rou

ront porch kept Mrs. Carter from weeping outright. Old Miss, indee

ir lady's hand, kissing her finger-tips lightly. Even the spectacle of Chloe's walking off, with her clean apron on hind part before and her

Chloe sai

e him stoop over an' smell yo' ma's hand. Cose she mus' smell pow'ful good with neve

tter'n what he does white folks, but I says that is plum foolish. Anyhow, he talks mighty sweet to 'em an' don't never call 'em low down triflin' black rascals whin they gits kinder lop-s

it certainly is kind of him to try and help the poor col

ss Helen! I ain't g

read at a

y ma, she say my haid was too hard an' she 'fraid it might git cracked open if'n teacher tried to put any mo' in it. She say some folks i

this foreigner should come to Virginia and take more interest in the education of the negroes

than a tarrapin. A tarrapin kin git his haid out'n the shell an' you might git a litt

then you can soon be reading recipes," said Helen kindly. "Now we are making biscuit, so we will begin with

f what it was all about. Now "2 cups of flour" had some sense in it, so had "2 spoons of baking powder." "Lard the size of an egg" was a brilliant remark; "1 spoon of salt" had a gleam of intellige