"It's a thing we started ages ago, when we were young," Val explained. "It amuses Emmie."
"But there's no reason to give it up now," urged the younger girl. "We thought we'd have to once for lack of paper," she said to Ethan. "Grandma gave us only half-sheets. Then Val discovered great-grandfather Calvert's old counting-house books."
"How did you do that?"
"They were in the closet under the stairs," said Val.
"An' Jerusha and Venie and most everybody thought there was a ghost there," added Emmie, with a certain reverence in her voice. "Val said she was goin' to see, and that was how we found all that jolly paper for the Comet."
"Emmie writes most of the poetry and all of the stories; I do the illustrations," said Val.
"And the conundrums and the 'Advice to Parents' column. Oh, Val, what would happen to you if grandma ever saw—"
She began to laugh.
"Miss Val," said Jerusha, putting her head in at the door, "yo' kin run so fas', honey, an' Miss G'no say de doctor's kerridge is a stan'in' at de Tibbses do'; will yo' say de doctor's wanted yer fur Massa John." Val was off like an arrow from a bow before the old woman had finished.