“Those go in the back shed, over by the tubs. Take that out in the yard and burn it, and this pile goes upstairs. Just put it in the upper hall, and I’ll attend to it later. My! What a difference it makes to get a little space clear!”
They worked steadily all the afternoon, Carey proving himself as willing as herself.
They washed the windows and the floor, and swept down the walls of parlor and hall.
“Ugly old wall-paper!” said Cornelia, eying it spitefully. “That’s got to come off if I have to do it myself and have bare walls.”
“Why, that’s easy!” said Carey. “Give me an old rag!” and he began to slop the water on and scrape with an old caseknife.
“Well, that’s delightful!” said Cornelia with relief. “I didn’t know it would be so easy; we’ll do a little at a time until it is done, and then we’ll either paper it ourselves or paint it. I do wish we could manage to get a fireplace.”
“Well, maybe we can find some stone cheap where they’re hauling it away. Harry’ll know some place likely; he gets around with that grocery wagon. You know I helped a stone-mason last summer for a while. Mother hated it, though; so I quit; but I learned a lot about mixing cement and how to lay it on. I know about the draughts too. I bet I could make as good a fireplace as the next one. Gee! I wish I knew where to get some stone or brick.”
“Stone would be best,” said Cornelia; “it would make a lovely chimney mantel, but I suppose you couldn’t be so elaborate as making a mantel!”
“Sure, I could! But it would take some stone to do all that.”
“I know where there’s a lot of stone!” They turned around surprised and there stood Harry in the doorway, with Louise just behind him, looking in with delighted faces at the newly cleaned room and the hard-working elder brother.