Maida drew a long breath. “There’s so much of it. You see there’s a good deal of work about the house, although it seems so small. Floribel—she’s the colored maid—is going to do the cooking and Zeke, her husband, will attend to most of the outside work. Of course Granny Flynn and Mrs. Dore will run everything. But we girls are to take care of our own rooms and the flower garden.”
“Oh goody, goody!” Rosie exclaimed, “I love flowers!”
“We are to keep the house decorated with flowers. And once every week, we are to do the housekeeping for the entire day—that’s Floribel’s and Zeke’s day off. That day, we have to plan the meals; do the marketing; cook the food; wash and wipe the dishes.”
“Gee, I’m glad I’m not a girl,” Harold said jubilantly.
“Oh your turn comes now,” Maida declared. “You boys have got to weed and water the vegetable garden; gather vegetables whenever they are needed; run errands; take care of the tennis court.”
“For my part,” Laura declared, “I wish we did all the cooking. I love it.”
“You wouldn’t love it if you did it for sixteen people,” Maida commented in a scandalized tone.
“It’s just as though we were all alone by ourselves,” Rosie declared jubilantly.
“We are,” Maida stated. “We’re three miles from the Big House. We shan’t see any of father’s company. Father has closed one of the roads that leads to the Little House and the other is a secret one that nobody but he and Botkins and I know. Your parents are invited to visit you whenever they wish. Of course father will come to see us occasionally. And let me tell you he will come when we least expect it. And if everything isn’t in apple-pie-order—Of course there’s the telephone if we should need help—or anything happened—But otherwise we’re almost all alone in the world.”
“It’s like a story book,” Dicky commented.