going to stay. It might make needless expense. I’ll tell you what to do. Why don’t you just bring them here and put them in my kitchen chamber? It’s a great big, dry, empty room that is never used, and you could store things there as many years as you wanted to and it wouldn’t cost you a cent. Then, if you finally decide to marry any of the Brisbane suggestions or anybody else, or if you should want to come back to Glenellen and set up housekeeping sometime, why, it would be an easy matter to move your things.”
“Oh, but Miss Landon, I couldn’t let you do that for me, not without paying a little something at least,” said the girl. “I’m sure I could pay just a little. Perhaps I can get something to do somewhere to earn something. And I’m going to sell some of the things, of course. Perhaps I’ll just let the Ladies’ Aid have what they want.”
“No, you won’t,” said the old lady decidedly. “You just sell them on your own hook, anything you don’t want to keep. Tubs and the gas stove and a lot of junk that’s always cluttering around any house. You’d get a little something from them. If I were you, I’d stop at Abe Neatherby’s second-hand place on your way back and ask him to come up and look at what you don’t want to keep. Then you’ll have yourself in hand. The Ladies’ Aid is all well enough, only I know who runs things like that—Mrs. Brisbane and Mrs. Ferguson. And they would skin the eye teeth off an angel. The rest of the women are lambs, but they wouldn’t interfere in a matter of that sort, for Mrs. Ferguson has always run the financial part of the Ladies’ Aid, and always will as long as she lives. I’d just love to see you get the better of her.”
Amorelle smiled sadly.
“Well, I don’t want to be mean,” she said gently, “but I do hate to have those two women talking over Mother and Father’s things.”
“Of course!” said Miss Landon brightly. “Well, now you just run home and begin to pack up. Have somebody in to help you move trunks and boxes. I’d come myself and help you only I’ve promised these curtains by tomorrow noon, and it’s going to keep me hustling.”
“Oh, I don’t need help,” said Amorelle. “You’ve helped me wonderfully already. I didn’t know how to keep any of my things without storing them, and I knew that was awfully expensive. But I can’t consent to let you do this for me unless you’ll get some benefit out of it yourself. Couldn’t you use a few of Mother’s chairs and her sofa perhaps, or some of the tables and beds? I’d feel so happy to think of some of them being in use.”
“Why, yes of course,” said Miss Landon looking around. “I’d be pleased as punch to have that lovely sofa and chairs in my front room. I’ve never been able to replace some of the furniture I had to sell when Mother was sick, and the front room has nothing but a pine table and three cane-seat chairs. You can put your parlor things in there, and Sundays I’ll enjoy them, sit on first one and then another and think of you. And sometimes when I have a very high-class customer, I’ll take them in there just to show I know what’s what in the way of a parlor.”
Amorelle laughed in spite of the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes, and then went and threw her arms around the little old lady and kissed her.
“You’re so dear,” she said.
“So are you,” returned Miss Landon, winking back the tears that came into her own eyes. “I wish you were my niece. I’d like to have you come and live with me. If I only could get back some of the money I had in that bank that closed its doors I’d have you here in no time, uncle or no uncle.”
“Oh, you dear Aunt Lavinia! I couldn’t do that, of course, but I love you for suggesting it. But aren’t you ever going to get any of your money back at all?”
“Well, I don’t know. I might and then again I mightn’t, but I just can’t count on it. But, child, you must remember