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"I 'clare," Aunt Esmerelda grumbled half to herself, but just loud enough so she knew Hortense would hear, "this yere house is sho' nuff voodood. First of all this ornery cat gets himself into some mighty peculiar fixes, inside the sofa and chimney and such likes, then the grater begins to get all full of knife holes and now I cain't even find it at all."
Aunt Esmerelda was muttering to herself. "Dis yere house is sho' hoodooed. Mah cookies is gone, an' I done made a crock full yistahday. An' yo' gran'ma's chist of drawahs, dey don' open. An' de hosses is plumb gone. It ain't no place fo' me." Hortense kept a discreet silence and hurriedly finished her breakfast. Then she ran to her Grandmother.
The kitchen was a large comfortable place. A bright fire was burning in the range. Shining pans hung on the wall, and Aunt Esmerelda, large, fat, and friendly, with a white handkerchief tied over her head, moved slowly among them. Aunt Esmerelda put her hands on her hips and looked down at Hortense. "Yo's the spittin' image of yo' ma, honey," said Aunt Esmerelda. "Does yo' like ginger cookies?"
I was getting angry and retorted: "I shall not eat any man's bread without paying for it, if he were a hundred times my guardian." "But if you had no money wherewith to pay him; what then?" "I have an education; with that surely I can earn my living as well as Esmerelda. My knowledge of French and German will help me to a situation, if nothing else."
Starting back she heard a noise and stopped, her heart pounding and little pin pricks crinkling her scalp; then she hurried to the stairs, almost running. But she did not run up the stairs, for she didn't wish to have Aunt Esmerelda think her afraid. She was a glad little girl, nevertheless, when she was safe again in the light kitchen. "Yo' didn' see nothin'?" demanded Aunt Esmerelda.
"But he couldn't get into the sofa!" said Grandmother. Uncle Jonah and Fergus turned the sofa over on its back. "There's no hole," said Grandfather, examining the sofa carefully from end to end, "but there is something moving inside!" He opened his pocketknife and carefully slit the covering at one end. Uncle Jonah and Aunt Esmerelda retreated to the door and looked on with frightened faces.
"I hain't thought much about that world. I know it's a mistake to live as I've done." I wished so much I could recommend her to a better way of life; but remembering that I too was living only for this world, I could say nothing. Pressing her hand gently I turned to leave, when I saw Esmerelda coming out of the door after me. The rigid form I had looked at and Mrs.
"All by myself," said Hortense. Aunt Esmerelda shook her head and muttered, but rising, found a candle and lighted it. "Ef yo' say yo' prayahs, mebbe nothin'll git yo'," she said ominously. It was black as a hat in the basement, and little shivers ran up and down Hortense's spine, but she ran quickly to the storeroom and filled her plate with apples from the big barrel.
Aunt Esmerelda filled her pan with potatoes from the barrel and led the way from the storeroom. Closing the door, she led the way back upstairs. A sudden noise of something falling and of little scurrying feet led her to stop abruptly. Hortense drew close to her.
"It would be nice," he began, "if I didn't have to be grooming these horses so much. But if I were to go up there on the mountain side what could I tell Mary? I couldn't tell her the real story, because she'd never believe it. She might even get Aunt Esmerelda and Uncle Jonas all excited and there's no telling what would happen then.
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