Things were getting uncomfortable. "I ate the biggest piece myself," said Elnora, "and gave the rest to a couple of boys named Jimmy and Billy and a girl named Belle. They said it was very best cake they ever tasted in all their lives."
Mrs. Comstock sat straight. "I used to be a master hand at spice cake," she boasted. "But I'm a little out of practice. I must get to work again. With the very weeds growing higher than our heads, we should get plenty of good stuff to eat off this land, if we can't afford anything else but taxes."
Elnora laughed and hurried upstairs to change her dress.
Margaret Sinton came that night bringing a beautiful blue one in its stead, and carried away the other to launder.
"Do you mean to say those dresses are to be washed every two days?" questioned Mrs. Comstock.
"They have to be, to look fresh," replied Margaret. "We want our girl sweet as a rose."
"Well, of all things!" cried Mrs. Comstock. "Every two days! Any girl who can't keep a dress clean longer than that is a dirty girl. You'll wear the goods out and fade the colours with so much washing."
"We'll have a clean girl, anyway."
"Well, if you like the job you can have it," said Mrs. Comstock. "I don't mind the washing, but I'm so inconvenient with an iron."
Elnora sat late that night working hard over her lessons.
