nd she is such a bright
little thing too, not stupid like our Sallie. Sallie would never learn
to do a thing if I didn't scold her all the time, but Sallie is a good
girl, and I take care and she will do all right."

Sallie was a good, obedient german child. She never answered Anna
back, no more did Peter, old Baby and little Rags and so though
always Anna's voice was sharply raised in strong rebuke and worn
expostulation, they were a happy family all there together in the
kitchen.

Anna was a mother now to Sallie, a good incessant german mother who
watched and scolded hard to keep the girl from any evil step. Sallie's
temptations and transgressions were much like those of naughty Peter
and jolly little Rags, and Anna took the same way to keep all three
from doing what was bad.

Sallie's chief badness besides forgetting all the time and never
washing her hands clean to serve at table, was the butcher boy.

He was an unattractive youth enough, that butcher boy. Suspicion began
to close in around Sallie that she spent the evenings when Anna was
away, in company with this bad boy.

"Sallie is such a pretty girl, Miss Mathilda," Anna said, "and she is
so dumb and silly, and she puts on that red waist, and she crinkles
up her hair with irons so I have to laugh, and then I tell her if she
only washed her hands clean it would be better than all that fixing
all the time, but you can't do a thing with the young girls nowadays
Miss Mathilda. Sallie is a good girl but I got to watch her all the
time."

Suspicion closed in around Sallie more and more, that she spent Anna's
evenings out with this boy sitting in the kitchen. One early morning
Anna's voice was sharply raised.

"Sallie this ain't the same banana that I brought home yesterday, for
Miss Mathilda, for her breakfast, and you was out early in the street
this morning, what was you doing there?"

"Nothing, Miss Annie, I just went out to see, that's all and that's
the same banana, 'deed it is Miss Annie."

"Sallie, how can you say so and after all I do for you, and Miss
Mathilda is so good to you. I never brought home no bananas yesterday
with specks on it like that. I know better, it was that boy was here
last night and ate it while I was away, and you was out to get another
this morning. I don't want no lying Sallie."

Sallie was stout in her defence but then she gave it up and she said
it was the boy who snatched it as he ran away at the sound of Anna's
key op