“I think Evaline is about right,” she said; “singing and weeding don't go together very well. But how nicely you have been doing! Why, you are nearly half through!”
“Yes, ma'am,” said Evaline, “and the other side of the circle a'n't half so bad as this was. We'll easy get it done to-morrow morning.”
“Yes; and, mamma,” cried Marty, “we've got them out good. I don't believe there'll ever be another weed here!”
“They'll be as bad as ever after a while,” said Evaline, who knew them of old.
Marty was pretty tired that evening and did not feel like running about as much as usual.
“There now!” exclaimed Mrs. Stokes, looking at Marty as she sat on the porch steps after supper leaning back against her mother, “there now! you're all beat out. 'T was too hard work for you. I oughtn't to have let you do it.”
“Oh! indeed, Mrs. Stokes, I'm not so very tired,” cried Marty, “and I was glad to do it.”
Another hour's work the next morning finished the weeding, and the girls reflected with satisfaction that they had earned their flowers. Mrs. Stokes said the work was done “beautiful,” and Hiram, who was brought to inspect it, said they had done so well that he had a great mind to have them come down to the field and hoe corn.
Thursday morning early they gathered and put in water enough flowers for seven fair-sized bouquets, thinking they had better have one more than Miss Fanny mentioned in case an extra lady came. By four o'clock these flowers—and how lovely and fragrant they were!—with Mrs. Ashford's valuable assistance were made into tasteful bouquets, placed on an old tray with their stems lightly covered with wet moss, and set in the coolest corner of the porch. The children, including Freddie, all nicely dressed, took up position on the steps, partly to keep guard over the flowers and prevent Ponto from lying down on them, and partly to watch for their callers.
Marty's bright eyes were the first to see the carriages.