decided there's enough laundry soap here to begin with. Ed says he's ordered more, and a lot of supplies that should have come to the village yesterday. He thinks they'll come today surely. I'll make plenty of strong suds, and we can begin scrubbing this morning. When we get through, this place'll be as bright as a new penny."

"It'll still be dreadfully bare, though," Jo Ann remarked tentatively. "As you said last night, it looks as bare as a barracks. What it needs is gay cretonne draperies and pillows, bright-colored blankets to throw over the chests and couches, and some of the lovely Mexican _ollas_. As soon as we get the house clean, let's go to the city to get the draperies. We can probably find some pottery and blankets at the village."

"Well, we'll think about that later."

"The sooner we get this house fixed up, the longer we'll have to enjoy it," spoke up Peggy, coming to Jo Ann's aid. She knew how Jo Ann's heart was set on getting back to the city. "Let's try to have it all done by the time Florence comes."

"Well, we'll see."

The girls had to content themselves with that vague promise.

After Miss Prudence had left the room and the girls were dressing, Jo Ann remarked, "I haven't given up hope yet of going to the city soon. I'm going to try to persuade Miss Prudence to let us go to the village this afternoon for the supplies that Mr. Eldridge is expecting."

"I'll help persuade her." Peggy changed the subject abruptly by saying, "I hate to have her hurt Maria's feelings by doing all this cleaning, don't you?"

Jo Ann nodded. "I'll try to smooth it over to Maria, but she'll never be able to understand such extreme ideas about sanitation."

As soon as they had finished eating breakfast, the girls entered industriously into Miss Prudence's "cleaning spree," as Jo Ann called it. While Peggy poured the soapy water over the concrete floors, Jo Ann scrubbed vigorously enough to satisfy even Miss Prudence.

"It's really fun," Jo Ann declared as she swished the foamy suds about with her broom.

Miss Prudence, a towel over her head and her long skirts tucked up and pinned in the back, bustled about superintending the girls, Maria and her oldest daughters, and the two boys.

Maria was horrified 

 Prev. P 35/101 next