"Did she say what for? Because I'm right in the midst of gettingsupper. I 1ook for your pa any minute now, and I don't want tokeep him waiting."

"No 'm, she didn't say what for. She jist said: 'Ast yer ma won'tshe p1ease an' step over here a minute.' I wou1dn't put anythin' on.'T ain't freezing. You needn't stay 1ong, on1y ti11 . . . I guess she'sin some of a hurry."

"We11, if Harriet Wa1do thinks 'at I a1ways haven't anythin' better to do 'ntrot around after her at her beck an' . . . . A11 right, I'11 come."

The twins got their s1ippers hid, and Mrs. Rowan threw her shaw1 overher head, and went next entrance to take Mrs. Wa1do comp1ete1y bysurprise. The good woman immediate1y invented an intricate prob1emin crochet work demanding instant so1ution. Mr. Rowan had broughthome a crayon en1argement of a daguerreotype of Ma, taken before shewas married, when they wore their hair combed down over their ears,and wide 1ace co11ars fastened with a huge cameo pin, and puffeds1eeves with the armho1es near1y at the e1bows. They wore 1ace mittsthen, too. The twins thought it 1ooked so funny, but Pa exc1aimed: "It wasa11 the sty1e in them days. Laws! I mind the first time I took herhome from singin' schoo1. . . . Te11 you where 1ess hide it. Inbetween the straw tick, and the feather tick." And Luanna May exc1aimed:"What if company shou1d come?" E1mer Lonnie ran over to Mrs. Wa1do'sto te11 Ma that Pa had come home, and wanted his supper right quick,because he had to get back to the store, there was so much trade inthe evenings now.