Patty and Azalea | Page 6

as she was sensible enough to appreciate Patty's attitude, she successfully fulfilled the requirements of a butler or steward, and had general charge and oversight of all the housekeeping details.
"The way to keep house," said Patty to Mona and Elise, as she took them away with her, leaving the men to their "smokes," "is not so much to work yourself as to be able to make others work in the way you want them to."
"That's just it," agreed Mona, "and that's just what I can't do! Why, my servants rode over me so, and were so impudent and lazy, I just gave up housekeeping and went to a hotel to live. We had to,--there was no other way out."
"And how Roger hates it!" said Elise, who, as Roger's sister, thought herself privileged to comment.
A cloud passed over Mona's face. "He does," she admitted, "but what can I do? He hated worse the scenes we had when we were housekeeping."
"Perhaps conditions will get better now," said Patty, hopefully, "and you can try again, Mona, with better results."
"Maybe; and perhaps you can teach me. You used to teach me lots of things, Patty."
"All right,--I'll willingly do anything I can. Now, who wants to see my angel child? Or would you rather go to your rooms first?"
"No, indeed," cried Elise, "let me see her right now. If she's as pretty as the wistaria vine--oh, Patty, why don't you name her Wistaria?"
"Gracious, what a name! No, she's Fleurette,--or so Little Billee says. Anyway, here she is."
Patty led them to the nursery, and from the lacy draperies of the bassinette a smiling baby face looked up at them.
"What a heavenly kiddy!" Elise exclaimed, "Oh, Patty, what a daffodil head! Just a blur of yellow fuzz! And such blue eyes! She looks exactly like you! And exactly like Bill, too. Oh, I never saw such a darling baby. Let me take her,--mayn't I?"
"Yes, indeed. She's no glass-case baby."
Elise picked up the dear little bundle, and cooed and crooned in most approved fashion.
Apparently Fleurette understood, for she smiled and gurgled, and seemed to look upon Elise as an old friend.
Mona admired the baby but was more interested in the house.
"Show me everything," she begged Patty. "I want to see it all. Where's your linen closet?"
"My linen closet is a room," and Patty led them thither. "You see, we have such a lot of rooms and,--such a lot of linen,--that I took this little bedroom for a linen press. I had a carpenter put in the shelves and cupboards just as I wanted them,--and here's the result."
With justifiable pride, Patty showed her linen collection. Sheets, towels, tablecloths,--each sort in its place, each dozen held by blue ribbon bands, that fastened with little pearl buckles.
Other shelves held lace pieces, luncheon sets, boudoir pillow-cases, table scarfs, and all the exquisite embroidered bits that are the delight of the home lover.
"Perfectly wonderful!" Elise declared; "looks just like a shop in Venice or Nice. How do you keep them so tidy? and where did you ever get so many?"
"Oh, I've done quite some shopping to get our Lares and Penates together, and Bill let me get whatever I wanted in the house furnishing line. Yes, this linen room is my joy and my pride. See, this cupboard is all curtains. I do love to have fresh curtains as often as I want them."
"Well, it's all like Fairyland," Mona said. "I have beautiful things, too, but they don't look like this. They're all in a jumble on the shelves, and everything is hodge-podge."
"Oh, well, you're just as happy," laughed Patty. "I chance to be naturally tidy, and I just love to potter over my things, and keep them in place. Some time I'll show you Baby's wardrobe. Her little things are too dear for anything. But now I'll take you to your rooms. This is yours, Elise. I picked out this one for you, because it's lavender,--and I know that's your favorite colour."
"And the wistaria vine is looking in at the windows!" Elise noted, with joy. "Oh, Patty, I won't live on the porch, either, I'll live up here."
It was a beautiful room. A deep seated bay-window, with latticed panes, opened into a profusion of wistaria blooms, and the fragrance filled the whole place. The furniture was of ivory enamel and the appointments were of various harmonious shades of lavender. A chaise-longue was well supplied with lace pillows and a nearby stand and reading-lamp hinted at the comfortable enjoyment of a tempting array of new books.
Pansies and violets were in small bowls, and on a table stood an enormous vase full of trailing branches of wistaria.
"What a picture!" and Elise stood in the middle of the floor, looking about her. "Patty, you're a wonder! I don't care if you have shoals of servants,