“And what’s that?” asked Alta.
“Have all the rollicking fun you want, but make it pure, and remember, if you want any man always to love you, make him respect you first.”
“That sounds just like Aunt Betty,” said Alta, snuggling closer to Mrs. Willis, who responded by smoothing back the silken hair and kissing the beautiful forehead. A tear stole down Alta’s cheek.
“Let’s sing a hymn now and be dismissed,” said Sally. “This is getting too blamed serious. All together now!”
She grabbed up the rolling pin and began to beat time, singing with solemnity in nasal tones:
“Do what is right, let the consequence follow,
Battle for freedom with spirit and might.”
“Oh, give us something cheerful!” Mary broke in, “like ‘music in the air.’”
“You don’t call this music, then?” said Sally, in mock injury. “Well, let’s try another: ‘Mary Lee, we’ll roll the dough, roll the dough, roll the dough,’” and suiting the action to the word, she began to make the old rolling pin chuckle on the table.
“That’s a heap better,” said Aunt ‘Liza; “we’d better be gettin’ this work movin’ faster. That sun’s slidin’ to’rds night perty fast.”
They all began briskly to do the various tasks Aunt ‘Liza had assigned them.