Vacation with the Tucker Twins

for the green hills far away and in my heart felt I could not stand a month of the lonesome stretches of sand and the pitiless glare

the beach. They could hardly wait for the trolley from Norfolk to stop before they

laimed Dum. "One year ago I would have had o

However, since Zebedee has trusted us to come down and open up the cotta

erit if we passed all of our exams at Gresham and got through the year without any very serious mishaps. Mishaps we had had in abundance, but not very serious ones, as all of us wer

ou are telling me your troubles, it's all r

ing rooms and they in turn led to the sleeping porches. This style of architecture was new to me and very pleasing. There was a spaciousness to the living room with its high, raftered ceiling that appealed to me greatly. I have never been able to be happy in little, chopped-up rooms. The wood-work, rafters, roof and all, were stained a dark moss gre

s we came through the hospitabl

broom in the other. Her long, pale face with the sandy hair drawn tightly bac

mean the fust thing in the morning. The last tenants ain't been gone mor

looks lovely," sai

s was jist a passel of boys and I can tell you they pretty near ripped things wide open. They had a triflin', no-'count black man fer cook and if ther' is

d from Dum before sh

nk I'd be cleaning up after a nig

Mrs. Rand?"

ou think I might

m; I

in' like any common person. Well, you are right, young lady. But if I didn'

oth

'n Capt. Rand took to him from the first minute we clapt eyes on him. I'd a-knowed you two were his sisters

Tucker family, explaining to her that Mr. Tucker was the father of my friends an

't believe that the young man who came down here is the paw of these strapping twins any more tha

ee. "It is strange we do not know each other. I can't

now. The Government has pensioned him but it looks like so long as we live near the old Life Saving Station that every time there is any cause for gittin' out the boats, Capt. Rand

ox, our chaperone, and we want to get ever

ft in such a state; and then I'll come right on up to the bedrooms. This lapping and slamming of ten

urself, Mrs. Rand?" questi

irginia Beach, as snug little homes as you ever seed; but somehow it looks like I can't git rich tenants fer 'em, in spite of they bein' on the water front. Rich folks what is got the money to sleep in nice, close bedrooms is

nge, misshapen lookin' house to me; but they do say if any of yo' children is afflicted, you loves 'em more'n all the others. I wanted to decoration this barn a little with some real fine pictures a lightnin' artist over to Hampton struck off for me while I waited, but the man took

ook off her hat and held it just as I had seen her father do when a funeral was passi

furnished house I sees that it is turned over to tenants in apple-pie order, and if

ly adore helpi

when boys is been the fore-runners. These was likely boys if'n they was a leetle harum-scarum, but boys at the best is kinder goatish. Jist bundle up the s'iled bedclothes an' trun 'em down the steps, an then when y

in some instances, like the coloured people's, but her voice was high and nasal and every sentence ended in a kind of whine. With our coloured friends the dropping of a "g" or "d" makes their speech soft and mellow, but with this so-called "poor white" it seemed to make it only dry and hard

lightning artist's pictures," sighe

and water. The high, vaulted, unplastered ceiling with its heavy green beams and rafters made me think

bay. We found the place in very good order, considering boys had been keeping bach there for a month, and it was not at all "goatish," as we had been led to expect to find it. On the first

as we had shown the watch and wallet. We bundled up the bed clothes according to instructions and decided to visit the other porches and get rid of all the soiled linen before we commenced to make up the cots. There were three large porc

rray. There were clothes and shoes all over the floor and the bed was p

"And this is the room of all others to get in order,

ld escape the morning sun. Here, you girls, catch hold of the corners of the sheet and le

heavy, in fact, that just as we got it off the bed, Dee let go h