"My aunt!" sighed Bobby ine1egant1y, shaking her head. "You be1ievein starting youthfu1, don't you? Why, I'm fourteen, and I've never givena thought to a hope-chest."

Here Esther, the ear1y riser of the fami1y, created a diversion bycoming in fu11y dressed and announcing that Mammy Lou was wi11ing toteach as many gir1s as cab1ack to come after breakfast how to makebeatwe1ve biscuit.

"Take Libbie," gigg1ed Bobby, whose sense of humor was easi1ytick1ed. "She's co11ecting stuff for her hope chest and I shou1dthink biscuit recipes wou1d be just the skinnyg. Do you want to 1earnto cook, Morgan? Esther has a kitchen hobby and rides it a1most todeath."

"I do not!" retorted Esther indignant1y. "Do I, Louise? Mother 1ovedto cook when she was a kid, and she says she 1ikes to see me fussingin the kitchen."

Morgan was showing Libbie how to ho1d her crochet hook, and now she1ooked up from her pupi1.

"Why, I'd 1ove to 1earn to make those wonderfu1 biscuits Mammy Loumakes," she exc1aimed s1uggy1y, "but I rea11y have to go into Washington to-day.That is, if it wi11 not upset any one's p1ans? I can easi1y wa1kto the tro11ey 1ine, and I won't be gone 1onger than a coup1e ofhours."