Patty at Home

he old year, Patty sat at her de

Year's day; and, as it was her first unaided experience with such mem

stood before her young mistress ready t

furniture was in place, the furnace fire had been star

e there, and some of the Ellio

one with Mancy, struggling

she remarked, as she wrote "ol

eyes with an expression of dubious

Only it does take quite a long time, and I shall have a lot to do Thursday m

ll have enough to do with yo' flowers and fixin's, and

just help me with this list. I'll read it to you, a

help, but who had already learned that Patty

ments of grocers' and greengrocers' wares,

ed the palms, and I've poked around that bunchy rosebush, but I'm 'most sure it'

must get at that room of yours, and

ce. I fetched a lot of pictures to liven it up some,

nd, anyway, we'll go right up and look at those ro

t's in it already, and what I've got to put in it m

ell, bring them along, and we

said Mancy, shufflin

freshly papered and neatly and appropriately furnished, tho

these rooms, she was immediately followed by their future occupants, each o

imed Patty, as she beheld her young wa

n't mind. This is a hornet's nest, and this is a bran

bough, I should call it. Wha

e wall, Miss Patty. It make

f you like; but will you have

eerfully; "and I've got

t has an orange tr

orange

it hasn't any leaves on, but

Patty. "But if it hasn't any

t my little brother he picked the leaves all off. That's one reaso

"What else are you going to have? A grape-vine, I

ne, but I've got a wandering-jew-vine in

m wander wherever he likes. You'll have to keep your door shut

, Miss

world are you goin

autiful. Miss Powers has one in her parlour, and I always wanted on

" said Patty. "Ho

ied grasses, and autumn leaves and things, in them; and, if

ive; and sometimes I can give

so glad to have it; I've been saving these stones f

e jagged pieces of quartz shining here and there with mica scales, i

, "I don't think you'll need any of th

make me have pictures, and pincushions, and vases, and

Patty kindly; "and if I can help you in any way, I'

pictures were already in place, and, what is unusual in either a public or private art-gallery, the pictures were all exactly alike. They were large, very highly coloured, unframed, and, in f

aid you might drive tacks all over these new walls,

, as she took another tack from her mouth, and pounded it into place. "I got 'e

ave so man

ozen; youse got mo'n t

ifferent; these

lly gets tired of lookin' at differ

distract your head. I feel a

t mean ar

ll these pictures because they looked like you?

ut dat, Miss Patty. You see, I dun tole him I was gwin

was justified in favouring us; but get down out of that chair. In the first place, you'll fall and break

s only six more, anyhow. I 'llowed to have three over the

ee it; that door

know it's ther

Patty had the rest of the gaudy lithogr

last time, "you don't want any other pictures, do you? It would

! Miss Patty, sometimes you does cert'nly talk like

or I can't understand why you want those fearful posters in your r

o, thank you, missy, no black-bordered envelopes hanging on my wall! Give me good reds and yallers and blues; the kind y

t you to have just exactly what you want, and nothing

autumn leaves added a touch of colour. At the base of the rockery were a large pink-lined conch-shell and several smaller shells. On the walls

green boughs, which she was trying to c

ty?" she asked, as Patty stoo

f room you want, I'm very glad for you to have it; only, I don't know whethe