“Are you bizzy, Delia” arsks Mr. John, cumming into me kitchen wid a barskit.
“I’m oop to me eers sor” ses I. I wus setting on the ice crame freezer, thrying to cool aff, after making the crame for loonch.
“Wud you like to make sum monney” ses he.
“Shure darlint” ses I.
“I’m tired of this gardin bisiness,” ses he. “Now these are seeds.” He set the barskit down befure me. “Theyve joost arrived. Heres a book giving fool instruckshuns how to plant thim. You go ahed,” ses he “and plant thim whin you git a chance. I’d suggest” ses he “that you do it in the airly marning, but me brother James who cuts the lons at those unairthly ours wud see you, so do it whenever the feeld is cleer. And heres a dollar.”
“Thank you sor” ses I. I set to wark at wance imtying the seeds from there respictible packages into me bred pan. Then I give them all a good mixup thegither. The book I shuved aside wid scorn.
“Anny wan I’m thinking but a doom eediot cud plant seeds in the grownd” ses I to mesilf, “and what wud I be arfter needing instroockshuns for?”
Joost thin Miss Claire cum in to guv me the orders os I tuk it for the day. Shes a bit flustered and oopset.
“O Delia” ses she “what do you think. A cupple of papa’s frinds have cum up frum town, and we’ll have to kape thim for loonch. What have we got?”
“See for yersilf” ses I, biling over wid rage. Company indade on Winsdy, wid the tale ind of the ironing to finish, and seeds to be planted in the gardin.
“O deer!” ses she “there is’nt a thing hardly. What will we do? I’m sure none of those trade people will deliver in time. What did you plan to give us to-day Delia?”
“Its hash ye’ll get and be thankful” ses I.
“But theres no cold meat aven” ses she in disthress.
“I’ll attind to that” ses I.
“But——”
“Now see here Miss Claire, its no time I have for argying wid me hands boorsting wid wark this marning. Will you be going or shull I?”
“Well Delia deer” ses she meekly, “If you can make aven hash out of—nothing—c-cudent you just cuvver it over wid mashed pertaters and brown it in the uvven? It tastes diffruntly that way.”
“I’ll see about it” ses I.
“O Delia!” ses Miss Claire, “be nice or I don’t see how I’ll dare to ask a speshul favour of you.”
“Favour is it?” ses I toorning upon her. She roon ap to me, and befure I can shpake anuther word, shes got her arms about me.
“Now lissen deer” ses she. “I’ve finished me floury hidge and this afternoon I must shtart on the beds. You do the digging for me like an angel” ses she.
“Digging is it? Do you tak me for——”
“Please, please” ses she.
“It depinds intirely on how the loonch goes” ses I gruffly. “Now raymimber not wan ward of crittersickem will I be heering to.”
“Not wan word” ses she.
After she had gone I dischuvvered that there was’nt a speck of tea in the house and exactly three coffee beens oanly. I wint upshstairs speshully to infarm Miss Claire. “Be careful now” ses I “to ignoar the subject. Lit your gests think ye’ve forgotten the biverage.”
All wint well for loonch, till Mr. James, soospecting the thruth, ondertook to refer to me hash as “patty de 4 grass a la Delia” a dish ses he of our Delia’s own invinshun. I guv wan look at Miss Claire, and she changed the subject. Thin Mrs. Wolley asked the lady which she wud have—coffee or tee, and before the unforchnit craychure cud answer I spoke up at wance:
“Ye’ll get neyther” ses I.
Miss Claire at wance requisted me to bring on sum more “snow hash.” Wid that me last bit of payshunce wint, for theres not anuther speck of the stuff to be had.
“Do ye think” ses I “that wan can of potted ham will feed a large family to more than wan sarve a peece?&r............