She glanced over her
shoulder so Mickey piled the pillows higher. Then she looked at him.
Mickey scrutinized her closely.
"You're clean kid, clean as a plate!" he assured her. "Honest you are! You
needn't worry about that. I'll always keep you washed clean. _She_ was
more particular about that than anything else. Don't you fret about my
having a dirty girl around! You're clean, all right!"
Peaches sighed as she returned the mirror. Mickey replaced it, laid the
slate and ribbons in reach, washed the dishes, then the sheets he had
removed, and their soiled clothing. Peaches lay folding and unfolding the
ribbons; asking questions while Mickey worked, or with the pencil tracing
her best imitations of the name on the slate. By the time he had finished
everything to be done and drawn a chair beside the bed, to see if she had
learned her lesson for the day, it was cool evening. She knew all the
words he had given her, so he proceeded to write them on the slate. Then
told her about the big man named Douglas Bruce and the lovely girl named
Leslie Winton, also every word he could remember about the house she lived
in; then he added: "Lily, do you like to be surprised better or do you
like to think things over?"
"I don't know," said Peaches.
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