"Peter! Peter!" cried the girl. "I've inherited a farm. We'll all go to the movies."
"Not really?" said the astonished Peter as Early Ann danced him in mad circles about the kitchen.
"Really," said Early Ann. "And it's been sold, and I've got the three hundred dollars above the mortgage."
"Look out," cried the hired man. But his warning came too late. They had jarred the lamp from its shelf, and it fell with a crash scattering glass all over the kitchen floor.
At this inopportune moment Temperance Crandall returned from shopping. She had been cheated two cents on eggs, sniggered at by the pool hall gang, and despite two trips the length of Main Street had not caught so much as a glimpse of Timothy Halleck. Now she discovered her kitchen strewn with glass. Early Ann had her hat over one eye, Peter's shirt tail was out, and Gus was studying the floor.
"I didn't mean to," said Gus. "I was just hunting for some matches for my pipe."
"Didn't mean to," mimicked Temperance. "Didn't mean to. Well you'd just better get busy and clean up that mess."
"Yes, mam," said Gus, looking around for broom and dustpan.
Early Ann giggled. Peter tucked in his shirt tail. Temperance Crandall whisked off shawl and bonnet, donned an apron, clattered the griddles and stoked the fire preparatory to getting supper.
"You're Sarah's hired girl, ain't you?" she asked over her shoulder.