Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile literature; Children's poetry; Children's stories; Conduct of life -- Juvenile literature
As a usual thing, Sunday quiet reigned in Mrs. Wheeler’s kitchen at
this hour of the day. But this day was an exception. Mrs. Wheeler,
bustling about doing up the last things connected with the morning
work, had come across a bowl of mince meat and a lump of dough
evidently left from pie crust. “I declare for it!” she exclaimed, “I
thought Kate made up all the pies yesterday. What a careless thing, to
leave this bowl of mince meat here over Sunday! It would make two good
pies, and if all the folks come for Thanksgiving we may fall short;
they set such store by my pies. I wonder what Kate was about? It must
have got dark before she finished. These must be made up the first
thing to-morrow—but there is pretty near everything to do to-morrow,
too; it makes a great deal of work getting ready for such a house full;
and pie crust is none the better for standing, either; I declare,
I’ve a mind to slap this on to a couple of tins and set them in the
oven; there is fire enough to bake them nicely, and it won’t take five
minutes, hardly, and there are so many ways to turn to-morrow.”
There were more thoughts about it not put into words, but it ended in
the moulding board being spread out on the table, and the flour jar
and rolling-pin and pastry knife being laid beside it. I wonder they
did not all blush for shame, for such a thing had never happened to
them before on a Sabbath. Mrs. Wheeler’s cheeks were rather red, and
she felt what she would have called “kind of queer”; but she flew about
very fast, and meant to be soon seated in the best room in her Sunday
dress.
It was just at that moment that Lora pushed open the kitchen door and
entered, her eyes large with the thoughts about which she wanted to
question. They grew larger as she took in the situation. Her mother
rolling out pie crust! And it was Sunday! Such a thing had never
happened in Lora’s experience. Nobody knows why the queer little brain
put together the thoughts which had come to her outside, and the pie
crust in the kitchen; but it did, and there came, presently, this
question: “Did you get broked off, muvver?”
“Did I what?” said Mrs. Wheeler, her cheeks very red. There was
something in Lora’s look and tone which made them redder.
“Get broked off. That is what Nannie said. She said folks that got
broked off did things that Jesus did not want done; and kept doing
them. Does he want you to make pies to-day, muvver?”
“If I ever saw such a child!” said Mrs. Wheeler, making the rolling-pin
revolve over the board at railroad speed. “What does Nannie mean
putting such notions into your head? Go into the other room, child, and
take off your coat; I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m not going to
make pies; I shall wad up this dough and keep it until to-morrow.”
And she did.
MYRA SPAFFORD.
THAT RAINY DAY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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