CHAPTER VII DISCIPLINE
"Oh, we had a perfectly glorious time, Doris," cried Rosalie, skipping into the manse with her face fairly glowing. "It is such a lovely crowd, and we have such laughing times together—and we got whole sacks full of hickory nuts, and Bert gave me his share, too. Is supper ready? I am so hungry. We thought we had twice too much lunch, but we ate it all, and were tempted to raid the orchards coming home, we were so ravenous. Do hurry along, there's a nice General. Do we have to wait for anybody?"
"Oh, Rosalie, how young you are when you are hungry," cried Doris affectionately. "It isn't nearly time for dinner, but we'll eat as soon as the girls come. Father won't be here to-night, and we only have cream potato soup, but you love it, and I made heaps. Aren't the girls in sight? They promised to come early and—"
"Yes, here they come. You dish up the soup, and I'll carry it in."
So with a great deal of chattering and laughter, and endless running back and forth, Rosalie pulled up the chairs and carried the plates of soup to the table, waltzing Doris to her place just as the younger girls came in.
"Hurry, hurry," begged Rosalie. "Father isn't here to-night, so you needn't take time to brush. For once I am glad we don't have to wait for the blessing."
So the girls rushed to the table, and when Rosalie was happily immersed in her soup, Doris said, rather shyly:
"I am glad you spoke of the blessing, Rosalie, for—I want to say something about that myself, and I haven't had the nerve, though I have been thinking of it for quite a while. I think it is a shame for us preachers to sit down and eat without giving thanks, just because father is not here to do the talking for us."