iet, regular fashion.

The kitchen department it is true, was the scene of much earnest talk,
but the words were spoken with bated breath, and many an anxious glance
from door and window, as if the speakers feared the vicinity of some
lurking foe.

Aunt Dicey was overseeing the making of a huge kettle of soft soap.

"Tears like dis yer's a long time a comin'," she said, giving the liquid
a vigorous stir, then lifting her paddle and holding it over the kettle
to see if it dripped off in the desired ropy condition; "but dere, dis
ole sinnah no business growlin' 'bout dat; yah! yah!" and dropping the
paddle, she put her hands on her hips, rolled up her eyes and fairly
shook with half suppressed laughter.

"What you larfin' at, Aunt Dicey? 'pears you's mighty tickled 'bout
suffin'," remarked the cook, looking up in wonder and curiosity from the
eggs she was beating.

"What's de fun, Aunt Dicey?" asked Uncle Joe, who sat in the doorway
busily engaged in cleaning a gun.

"Why, don't you see, darkies? de soap ain't gwine to come till 'bout de
time de Kluxes roun' heyah; den dis chile gib 'em a berry warm
deception, yah! yah! yah!"

"A powerful hot one," observed the cook, joining in the laugh; "but dey
won't min' it; dey's cobered up, you know."

"'Taint no diffence," remarked Uncle Joe, "de gowns an' masks, dey's
nuffin but cotton cloth, an' de hot soap'll permeate right tru, an'
scald de rascal's skins!"

"Dat's so; an' take de skin off too."

Uncle Joe stopped work and mused a moment, scratching his head and
gazing into vacancy.

"'Clar to goodness dat's a splendid idea, Aunt Dicey!" he burst out at
length. "An' let's hab a kettle ob boilin' lye to tote up stairs in da
house, 'bout de time we see de Kluxes comin' up de road; den Aunt Chloe
an' Prilla can expense it out ob de windows; a dippah full at a time.
Kin you git um ready fo' den?"

"Dat I kin," she replied with energy, "dis consecrated lye don't take no
time to fix. I'll hab it ready, sho' as you lib."

Meanwhil

Martha Finley (1828 - 1909) was a teacher and author of numerous works, the most well known being the 28 volume Elsie Dinsmore series which was published over a span of 38 years. The daughter of Presbyterian minister Dr. James Brown Finley and his wife and cousin Maria Theresa Brown Finley, she was born on April 26th, 1828 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Finley wrote many of her books under the psodonym Martha Farquharson. She died in 1909 in Elkton, Maryland, where she moved in 1876.

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