"But the house is spotless now," Jo Ann protested.

"The kitchen is a downright disgrace. Why Maria insists on using that old
fireplace to cook on when she has this new range, I can't understand. It
makes such a mess. I told her I wanted that fireplace closed up. I want
some shelves put up, too. There isn't any place to store our supplies.
This kitchen wasn't built for convenience. It's big as all outdoors, but
there's no place to put anything."

"Poor Maria!" thought Jo Ann. "She'll never understand Miss Prudence's
ideas of a modern kitchen. She feels that the kitchen is her domain and
won't like any interference. We'll have all we can do to keep peace in
the family."

"We'll have to take Florence around the camp tomorrow and show her all
the improvements," Peggy spoke up. She turned to Florence. "Mr.
Eldridge's had all the miners' ugly little shacks replaced with stone
houses built of the natural stone from the quarry."

"Yes, I noticed a few of them as we came up. I'm so glad. It worried me
to see the contrast between those horrible shacks and this great stone
house."

"You'll be delighted to see the modern machinery they've put in the mine,
too," Jo Ann put in. "They use electricity now for a good deal of the
work, and that makes it lots easier on the miners--less dangerous, too.
Mr. Eldridge's promised to show us around tomorrow."

"Fine." Florence's face was aglow on hearing of these improvements. She
was as happy as the other girls to hear how the drudgery and squalor had
been removed from the miners' lives since Mr. Eldridge had taken over the
management of the mining company of which Carlitos was the chief
stockholder. As all three girls owned stock in the company--a gift for
their share in recovering the mine for him--they felt a personal
responsibility for improving conditions.

"Don't you want to go with us on our ride about the camp tomorrow?" Jo
Ann asked Miss Prudence.

"Yes, I've been wanting to ever since I came, but I've been so busy, you

 Prev. P 47/101 next