Page:The Eleventh Virgin.pdf/16
dozen.” And Mother Grace told her if she couldn’t get them for ten cents in one place to go on to the next. . .
There was housework to do. Wiping dishes and sometimes washing. Wiping up the floor, and worst of all, dusting. After June and Adele read the story of Polly Pepper from the Sunday School library, there was more fascination in housework. June even polished the faucets of the kitchen sink.
Once there was a terrible scene. Mother Grace picked up dishes one by one and slammed them on the floor. Mr. Henreddy got behind her and tried to hold her and kept saying, “Grace, now Grace dear.”
June and Adele were making valentines—the next day they were going to get up early and distribute them to the other children around the porches—and they say with gaudy bits of paper in their hands and whimpered as the smashing continued. Dan hustled them into the bedroom and made them go down on their knees and pray. Dave wouldn’t pray. He just sat with white lips and pretended to go on reading.
Afterwards when it was over and Mother Grace was weak and shaking on the bed, Mr. Henreddy sent out for ice-cream for the children, but June refused to eat hers. It was too terrible an evening to think of eating ice-cream. She sat and wept. Wept for her mother, and for her father because
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