Ruthie--and Heaven only knows what
germs you will get there--of course I should be the first to praise
any work for the poor, ungrateful and shiftless though they are--what
with my committees and the Truegate Temperance Home for Young Working
Girls--it's all very well to be sympathetic with them, but when it
comes to a settlement-house, and Heaven knows I have given them all
the counsel and suggestions I could, though some of the professional
settlement workers are as pert as they can be, and I really do believe
some of them think they are trying to end poverty entirely, just as
though the Lord would have sent poverty into the world if He didn't
have a very good reason for it--you will remember the Bible says, 'The
poor you always have with you,' and as Florence Barclay says in her
novels, which may seem a little sentimental, but they are of such a
good moral effect, you can't supersede the Scriptures even in the most
charming social circles. To say nothing of the blessings of poverty,
I'm sure they're much happier than we are, with our onerous duties,
I'm sure that if any of these ragamuffin anarchists and socialists and
anti-militarists want to take over my committees they are welcome, if
they'll take over the miserable headaches and worried hours they give
me, trying to do something for the poor, they won't even be clean but
even in model tenements they will put coal in the bath-tubs. And so I
do hope you haven't just been wearing yourself to a bone working for
ungrateful dirty little children, Ruthie."

"No, auntie dear, I've been quite as discreet as any Winslow should
be. You see, I'm selfish, too. Aren't I, Carl?"

"Oh, very."

Aunt Emma seemed to remember, then, that some sort of a man, whose
species she didn't quite know, sat next to her. She glanced at Carl,
again gave him up as an error in social judgment, and went on:

"No, Ruthie, not selfish so much as thoughtless about the duties of a
family like ours--and I was always the first to say that the Winslows
are as fine a stock as the Truegates. And I am going to see that you
go out more the rest of this year, Ruthie. I want you and Phil to plan
right now to attend the Charity League dances next season. You must
learn to concentrate your attention----"

"Auntie dear, please leave my wickedness till the next time we----"

"My dear child, now that I have the chance to get all of us
together--I'm sure Mr. Ericson will pardon the rest of us our little
fami