eldest brother, Henry, who had explained to Lucretia, late on the afternoon of her father's funeral, that there had been no property left of any sort. In fact, for the last five years he and his brothers, Elmer and Ray, unknown to the simple-minded old man their father had become, had supported him and Lucretia in the old home, and had seen to it that his bank account was never over-drawn. Now, of course, he assured her kindly (his arm was about her waist as he talked) they would all look out for Lucretia. It was fortunate that they could.
After that, Lucretia had spent every winter with Beatrice and Henry, every spring with Mollie and Ray, every summer with Constance and Elmer, and autumns she went to Chicago for three months with Sister Bella. Bella had not married into prosperity, and Lucretia worked very hard in Chicago making dresses for her three little nieces. In fact, in all four of her homes she was always darning, mending linen, putting away the weekly laundry, straightening out the storeroom, unpacking furs and blankets and winter flannels, or spending a morning with the housemaid cleaning silver. She was always up-stairs early after breakfast to help make beds or get the children off to school.
Every month Lucretia received a check for her
