When they couldn't find another thing indoors to scour,they began on the yard,orchard,barn and road.Mother even had Leon stack the wood pile straighter.She said when corded wood leaned at an angle,it made people seem shiftless;and she never passed a place where it looked that way that her fingers didn't just itch to get at it.He had to pull every ragweed on each side of the road as far as our land reached,and lay every rail straight in the fences.Father had to take spikes and our biggest maul and go to the bridges at the foot of the Big and the Little Hill,and see that every plank was fast,so none of them would rattle when important guests drove across.She said she just simply wouldn't have them in such a condition that Judge Pettis couldn't hear himself think when he crossed;for you could tell from his looks that it was very important that none of the things he thought should be lost.There wasn't a single spot about the place inside or out that wasn't gone over;and to lots of it you never would have known anything had been done if you hadn't seen,because the place was always in proper shape anyway;but father said mother acted just like that,even when her sons were married at other people's houses;and if she kept on getting worse,every girl she married off,by the time she reached me,we'd all be scoured threadbare and she'd be on the verge of the grave.May and I weeded the flowerbeds,picked all the ripe seed,and pulled up and burned all the stalks that were done blooming.Father and Laddie went over the garden carefully;they scraped the walks and even shook the palings to see if one were going to come loose right at the last minute,when every one would be so flustrated there would be no time to fix it.
Then they began to talk about arrangements for the ceremony,whether we should have our regular minister,or Presiding Elder Lemon,and what people they were going to invite.Just when we had planned to ask every one,have the wedding in the church,and the breakfast at the house,and all drive in a joyous procession to Groveville to give them a good send-off in walked Sally.She had been visiting Peter's people,and we planned a lot while she was away.
"What's going on here?"she asked,standing in the doorway,dangling her bonnet by the ties.
She never looked prettier.Her hair had blown out in little curls around her face from riding,her cheeks were so pink,and her eyes so bright.
"We were talking about having the ceremony in the church,so every one can be comfortably seated,and see and hear well,"answered mother.
Sally straightened up and began jerking the roses on her bonnet far too roughly for artificial flowers.Perhaps I surprised you with that artificial word,but I can spell and define it;it's easy divided into syllables.Goodness knows,I have seen enough flowers made from the hair of the dead,wax,and paper,where you get the shape,but the colour never is right.These of Sally's were much too bright,but they were better than the ones made at our house.Hers were of cloth and bought at a store.You couldn't tell why,but Sally jerked her roses;I wished she wouldn't,because I very well knew they would be used to trim my hat the next summer,and she said:"Well,people don't have to be comfortable during a wedding ceremony;they can stand up if I can,and as for seeing and hearing,I'm asking a good many that I don't intend to have see or hear either one!""My soul!"cried mother,and she dropped her hands and her mouth fell open,like she always told us we never should let ours,while she stared at Sally.
"I don't care!"said Sally,straightening taller yet;her eyes began to shine and her lips to quiver,as if she would cry in a minute;"I don't care----!""Which means,my child,that you DO care,very much,"said father."Suppose you cease such reckless talk,and explain to us exactly what it is that you do want."Sally gave her bonnet an awful jerk.Those roses would look like sin before my turn to wear them came,and she said:"Well then,I do care!I care with all my might!The church is all right,of course;but I want to be married in my very own home!Every one can think whatever they please about their home,and so can I,and what I think is,that this is the nicest and the prettiest place in all the world,and I belong here----"Father lifted his head,his face began to shine,and his eyes to grow teary;while mother started toward Sally.She put out her hand and held mother from her at arm's length,and she turned and looked behind her through the sitting-room and parlour,and then at us,and she talked so fast you never could have understood what she said if you hadn't known all of it anyway,and thought exactly the same thing yourself.
"I have just loved this house ever since it was built,"she said,"and I've had as good times here as any girl ever had.If any one thinks I'm so very anxious to leave it,and you,and mother,and all the others,why it's a big mistake.Seems as if a girl is expected to marry and go to a home of her own;it's drummed into her and things fixed for her from the day of her birth;and of course I do like Peter,but no home in the world,not even the one he provides for me,will ever be any dearer to me than my own home;and as I've always lived in it,I want to be married in it,and I want to stay here until the very last second----""You shall,my child,you shall!"sobbed mother.
