Chapter 31: The Shiloh Picnic

Miss South and Julia were the leaders in the work of removing the Rosas from the city. Julia showed remarkable ability, and the more she had to do the better she seemed to do it. Nor did her lessons suffer because of this outside interest. The day of removal was continually changing. It was put off from week to week with one feeble excuse or another on the part of Mrs. Rosa. Miss South was more patient with the poor woman than were her young helpers. She realized that the poor woman could not be expected to appreciate all the advantages to result from the change, and she sympathized with Mrs. Rosa’s reluctance to leave her old neighbors to go among strangers. Indeed it was the end of May before they were really off. On the Saturday before their departure The Four, and two or three of the other girls who had been especially interested, went out to Shiloh to see the little cottage which had been fitted up for the Rosas. It had only six rooms, and these were not very large, but what fun the girls had in exploring every nook and corner! Floors and walls had all been newly painted, —some in rather bright colors. There were small mats in front of each bed, and one in the centre of the room intended for dining-room, but besides these, there were no floor coverings. The bedsteads were iron, painted brown, and all the other furniture was of the simplest possible style.

“I am afraid,” said Julia, “that Angelina will be disappointed in not finding a piano; she has an idea that we are considering her education as much as her mother’s health in making this change, and as she happens to be very anxious to take music lessons she will expect some kind of a musical instrument if not a piano.”

“What nonsense!” cried Belle. “Angelina ought to be thankful that she has not been sent away as a servant. She is certainly old enough to live out.”

“If it were not for her mother’s being so weak, undoubtedly we should make some effort to put her at service. But with all those younger children, for the present Angelina will have sufficient practice in house-work, and she is to work every day for a boarding-house keeper; if the family stays out here I have a plan that will be of great value not only to Angelina, but to the rest of them. In fact,” concluded Miss South, “Angelina, if she takes kindly to the scheme, may serve as a model for a number of other girls at the North End, who stand sadly in need of such training as she will be able to get in this comfortable house.”

“Oh, do tell us about it now,” begged Nora, “I know that you have some plan to carry out—Domestic Science—isn’t that what you call it, —but I haven’t the least idea what you really intend to do.”