“Oh, you going to Red River?” “You goin’ there in the morning?” Mrs. Wicket and Miss Mary exclaimed together, deflected from their other lines of thought.
“Yes, to do some shopping,” Julie nodded. And now she relaxed a little inside herself, aware that the bait of Red River, which was the county town and a shopping centre, would distract the others for at least a little while.
“Well, then, I certainly would be obliged if you’d do a little errand for me,” Mrs. Wicket said.
“An’ I’ll get you to attend to a little business of mine, too,” Miss Mary added.
“I’ll be real glad to do it,” Julie said, eagerly.
Mrs. Wicket and Miss Mary proceeded at once to give her minute directions for the carrying out of their desires, and Julie listened, assenting and suggesting with the nervous ingratiation of a little dog, which, having escaped a whipping, hopes to reinstate itself once more in society.
Having laid their shopping burdens on Julie’s shoulders, the visitors rose at last to go.
“Now, Julie,” Miss Mary charged, “don’t you go and let that smart clerk in at Randal’s persuade you into buying any of that cheap piece of goods. It ain’t the shade I want, and if they ain’t got anything better, I’ll have to send off for it myself.”
“And remember to see Mr. Winter himself in at Winter and White’s,” Mrs. Wicket admonished her.
They were outside in the garden now, starting down the little pathway. Julie called a good-bye, and shut her door hastily. A window was open, however, and halfway down the path she heard Mrs. Wicket exclaim, “Why, there now! We never did find out how Julie knew Brother Seabrook called on her.”