Rosemary | Page 5

a handful?" suggested Mrs. Hollister. "I
thought as soon as you said she was coming, that a woman without any
children of her own would find it hard trying to look after three lively
girls."
"Children of your own has got nothing to do with it," asserted Winnie,
tossing her head. "I can make any one of the children stand round, if I
give my mind to it, and they're as fond of me as can be. But remember I
say if I give my mind to it--Miss Wright hasn't got the patience to keep
repeating the same thing fifty times and if she gives an order and they
don't pay attention she drops it right there. I'm not blaming her--she's
fat and has plenty of money and likes to be comfortable; she must be
fifty years old, too, and at her time of life it's only fair to expect to have
a little peace. But I know the Willis family, and giving in to the girls is

the worst thing you can do. I get wore out lots of times and knuckle
down, but Dr. Hugh won't. I've been watching him, the little time he's
been here, and I'll bet he can hold out against even Rosemary."
"I suppose it's her red hair," said Mrs. Hollister vaguely.
"Rosemary is an angel from heaven," declared Winnie, loyally rising to
the defense of the absent. "She's always been the sweetest child the
Lord ever made and when she was a baby I could never bear to scold
her because she'd look at me so sad-like from those big blue eyes of
hers. But Rosemary has the Willis will and the Willis temper and when
she is on her high horse the house won't hold her. Sooner or later she's
going to try to have her way against the young doctor's orders and then
there will be war. All the girls are getting out of hand now, anyway,
what with their mother sick and the house upset and no regular plan to
follow. I caught Sarah yesterday making her breakfast off of lemonade,
raisin pie and fancy cakes."
"She's a queer one, that Sarah," said Mrs. Hollister, chuckling. "She
nearly frightened the little Percey girl into fits showing her a live snake
one afternoon."
"Sarah's got a good heart, if you can find it," declared Winnie, "but
unless you handle her just right, you're in for a peck of trouble.
Rosemary's temper blazes up and burns fierce enough dear knows, but
it burns itself out good and clean and leaves a good clean ash. Now you
take Sarah--she goes into a fit of the sulks and likely as not she won't
speak to anyone in the house for a week."
"She would if she was my child," announced Mrs. Hollister grimly. "I'd
soon shake that out of her."
"It's my private belief that you can't shake anything out of Sarah, once
she makes up her mind to it," said Winnie solemnly. "She's got the
Willis will and that is a caution. Even Shirley, six years old and looking
like a cherub straight from above, even Shirley has got a temper of her
own and as for will--well you try to make that baby do a thing she says
she won't do. The Willis will is something to reckon with, Mrs.

Hollister."
"Why do you keep talking about the Willis will?" asked Mrs. Hollister
with curiosity.
"Because I've lived with it for twenty-eight years and I know all about
it," said Winnie. "Twenty-eight years ago, this spring, have I lived with
this family and in that time I've seen Doctor Hugh grow from the baby
that was laid in my arms into a fine young man with the Willis will
made a help to him instead of a hindrance. Mr. Willis--you never knew
him, he died six months after Shirley was born and Mrs. Willis has
never been the same woman since--had it, too, and the temper along
with it, but he made them both his servants and himself the master, as
the Bible says. Many's the time I've heard the story of Governor Willis,
(his picture hangs in the hall) and of how he held out against the whole
legislature and the public and proved himself right in the end. Old
Judge Willis, the father of Doctor Hugh's father, once came near being
lynched for a decision he made, but no howling mob could make him
retract. As I tell Mrs. Willis, when she gets to worrying about the
strong wills the girls have, it's worse not to have a mind of your own
than to have too much; I'm not one to preach breaking anyone's
will--bend it the right way, I always say."
"Yes, that sounds all right," admitted Mrs. Hollister who had