There are three bedrooms, and a bath upstairs. Go
take one, put on some fresh clothes, and come to supper. You can find
your room because your things are in it."
Elnora kissed her mother over and over, and hurried upstairs. She
identified her room by the dressing-case. There were a pretty rug, and
curtains, white iron bed, plain and rocking chairs to match her case,
a shirtwaist chest, and the big closet was filled with her old clothing
and several new dresses. She found the bathroom, bathed, dressed in
fresh linen and went down to a supper that was an evidence of Mrs.
Comstock's highest art in cooking. Elnora was so hungry she ate her
first real meal in two weeks. But the bites went down slowly because she
forgot about them in watching her mother.
"How on earth did you do it?" she asked at last. "I always thought you
were naturally brown as a nut."
"Oh, that was tan and sunburn!" explained Mrs. Comstock. "I always knew
I was white underneath it. I hated to shade my face because I hadn't
anything but a sunbonnet, and I couldn't stand for it to touch my ears,
so I went bareheaded and took all the colour I accumulated. But when
I began to think of moving you in to your work, I saw I must put up an
appearance that wouldn't disgrace you, so I thought I'd best remove the
crust. It took some time, and I hope I may die before I ever endure the
feel and the smell of the stuff I used again, but it skinned me nicely.
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