s she was satisfied to be what Doctor Hugh insisted she
should be content to be for several more years, "just a little
girl."

CHAPTER XV

TOO MUCH NATURAL HISTORY

When the girls of the Eastshore school reached the seventh grade,
they entered the cooking class. The white aprons and caps were much
coveted and whatever other study might be neglected, each girl
usually put her best into the weekly cooking lesson. There was a
small stove for each and every young cook was responsible for the
order and cleanliness in which her pots and pans and utensils were
kept. Woe betide her, if Miss Parsons, the teacher, found an
unwashed pan thrust under the sink in a moment of hurry.

"She's very particular," reported Rosemary, the evening after her
first lesson in cooking. "She made Nina Edmonds take off her rings
and she scolded Elsie Mears because she put her hands up to her hair
just once, to tuck it back under her cap."

"And right she is," announced Winnie from the dining-room where she
was setting the table for breakfast. "A cook has got no business
wearing rings, and I can't abide a girl who is always fussing with
her hair when she is handling food."

"Winnie's a member of the sanitary squad," put in Doctor Hugh,
smiling behind his newspaper. It was one of the rare times when he
had an evening at home.

"Nina Edmonds makes me sick!" said Sarah vehemently. "She screamed
when I showed her a darling little spotted snake I found to-day."

Sarah and Shirley had brought out the box of dominoes and were
playing in the center of the floor. No amount of persuasion had ever
induced them to play on a table.

"Don't talk about snakes, dearie," pleaded Aunt Trudy, shuddering
over her knitting. "They are such ugly, horrid squirmy things."

"Oh, no they're not Aunt Trudy," said Sarah earnestly. "That's
because you're not used to them. Let me show you the one I've got in
my pocket--"

To her aunt's horror, Sarah unbuttoned the pocket of her middy
blouse and pulled out a little dangling dark object.

"Hugh!" shrieked Aunt Trudy, knocking over her chair as she rose
hastily. "Hugh make her stop! Ow! Rosemary, Winnie, take that awful
thing away, quick!"

In spite of her sympathy for Aunt Trudy who was white to the lips
with fright, Rosemary wanted to laugh, as Sarah, not realizing that
her aunt was really in terror, and intent only on winning
understanding for her snake, continued to advance on the unhappy
lady, the spo