That first supper in the mountains was a very merry one. Miss Elizabeth was much refreshed by a nap and came to the pavilion quite resigned to life. She had nothing but praise for the handiwork of her beloved nephew, and even included the laconic Bill in her compliments. She wished, however, he would not be so sudden in his laughter as she was afraid it betrayed the vacant mind.
Gwen had made a delicious fricassee of chicken in the fireless cooker, the mysteries of which she had been taught at the mission school. Hot biscuit and honey from Aunt Mandy’s hive completed the feast.
“What delicious biscuit!” exclaimed Douglas. “Isn’t Gwen a wonder?”
“’Scuse me, Miss Douglas, but I made them biscuit,” said Susan, who was waiting on the table.
“But, Susan, I thought you said you couldn’t cook a thing!”
“That was in Richmond. I ain’t boun’ by no regulations of no club whin I leaves the city. You see in my club, which is called the Loyal Housemaids, we swars never to ’tend to two ’fessions at onct. When we is housemaids, we is housemaids, but out here where th’ain’t ter say no house, I kin do as I’s a mind, and I sho’ did want ter make some biscuit ter go with that there fricassy. Uncle Oscar an’ I is goin’ ter share the cookin’. An’ Miss Gwen is goin’ ter do the haid wuck. We ain’t conversant with the fi’less cooker an’ we don’t know nothin’ ’tall ’bout lightin’ kerosene stoves.”
Our girls were much gratified by Susan’s willingness to turn in and be of some real assistance. The work when only the family were there would be light, but if the many week-enders who had announced their intention of coming to their camp materialized, they well knew that it would take the combined efforts of them all to feed the hungry hordes and to wash the many dishes and make up the many cots. The laundering of the bed linen and towels would amount to more than they could cope with, so they had decided to patronize a laundry in Charlottesville, for all the flat work.
Bobby was in a state of extreme bliss. He had been allowed to help Josh feed Josephus and now he was permitted to come to supper without doing more towards purifying himself than just “renching the Germans” off his hands and face. He was to sleep in the tent with his Cousin Lewis, too.
The girls’ tent was pitched just behind the Englishman’s cabin, while the masculine quarters were nearer the pavilion.
“We will put up other tents as we need them,” said Lewis. “We have chopped down enough trees and cleared enough ground to camp the whole of Richmond.”