Part 8 (1/2)
”I presume they do, dear,” said Mrs Nelson, her own face flushed with excite truth of it yet”
They were standing beside the first of a long line of low buildings that seeirls decided must be the ”bunk houses” for the ranch hands
And while they ondering if it would be possible to slip over to the corrals for a closer look at the horses, Mr Nelson sauntered up to the diffidently a little in the rear
”It's nearly supper ti ”And Andy here,” he indicated young Rawlinson, who grinned an acknowledgment, ”says that everybody has supper sharp on the o up to the house and have a little refreshether reluctant to obey, much as they desired a closer look at the bronchos, for they realized that they were pretty hungry
The ranch house was one of those quaint old structures which had begun as a tiny, one-story fraradually been added to until now it seemed, Betty said, to ”spread all over the landscape” It had porches and doors in the most unexpected places, but the whole house was painted such an ireen that the effect of the place was indescribably char
”If the house is as clean inside as it looks outside,” whispered Grace to Betty as Andy Rawlinson led theo in I never felt so mussy and dirty in all my life”
”Never ly, and then they stepped into one of the pleasantest roo and cool and airy, in spite of the fact that supper preparations were going on at one end of it Rough picturesque looking chairs were scattered about, and over near the s a long table was invitingly set for six And oh, the delicious odor of cooking things that afted on the air!
At sight of them a stout but immaculately neat and rosy-faced wo pan on the stove and ca her hands on her apron, her face wreathed in s with you, Andy Rawlinson,” she cried as the youth lingered rather aardly in the doorway ”There's no need for you to tell me who these folks are, for I already know the ladies, bless their pretty sweet faces Co to a wholesoirl who had come in from the other room, ”Lizzie will take you to see the roo,” she cautioned, as they started to follow Lizzie and she turned back to her frying pan on the stove, ”for supper is all ready and you irls had been impressed by the quaintness of this quaint old house frohted by its interior
They passed down a rather dark and narrow hall at the end of which were three low steps leading to such a series of rooirls had never seen before, each furnished neatly but plainly, the only touch of color being the gay cretonne curtains at the s The rooms all seemed to be connected by doors and to reach these doors one was obliged to go up two steps or down three or up one, as the case ht be
”Goodness,” cried Betty, when Lizzie had led the way through three of these quaint little rooms and the open doors seemed to reveal several others, ”I wonder if all these rooms were really occupied”
”Yes,unexpectedly ”They was a time when these roo the narandchildren an' seeot to quarrelin' and all left th' old man an' he was so mad he cut 'eh warned by the intent look of her listeners that she had said more than she had intended to, ”that's what they says But mebbe it ain't the truth, fer all I knows”
Then she led theht amazedly of what she had told theer than the rest, and turned her rather stolid gaze upon Mr and Mrs Nelson
”Miz cuirls were afterward to find out that cummins was the name of the rosy-faced woman who had eneral housekeeper for the place--”Miz cuood room fer the mister andladies She sed, if you liked any of the other rooms better, to take your pick They's fresh water in the pitchers,” indicating a washstand with a bowl and two pitchers of glea water upon it, ”an' if you want anythin' else, you wuz please to tell me” And with these words, uttered so precisely that it sounded like a rehearsed speech, which, in fact, it was, Lizzie disappeared, leaving the travelers to the them before her into the next room ”Let's see what kind of rooms 'Miz cummins' has picked out for us”
They were not at all unusual roo both about the same size and nearly square and furnished about as simply as they could possibly be
”If it weren't for the different colored cretonne at the s,” said Mollie, with a chuckle, ”these rooht be twins You and Grace can have the lavender cretonne, Amy, and Betty and I will take the blue”
”Don't those beds look heavenly?” sighed Grace, as she pulled off her hat and threw herself upon the big, snowy-sheeted bed
”Goodness!” cried Amy, in disets the bed so dirty I can't sleep in it to-night”
For answer Betty made a dash for Grace, pulled her to her feet, and pushed her over to the washstand
”See that water, Grace Ford?” she cried sternly ”Now use it!”
”And ily, as she and Betty disappeared into the adjoining roo clear in here!”