The following day Pledge and Terry went to Mr. Depense’s store to buy flour and vanilla. When he arrived at the store he saw a well-dressed man talking to the storekeeper.

"I want to find a boy old enough to do a good job," the stranger said. "He must be well thought of in this community and have a good personality. Of course honesty is very important. Do you know where I can find a lad fitting this description?"

"Look no farther," said Mr. Ben. "The boy is here right now."

"Sonny," said the man. "How would you like a job delivering newspapers?"

"I – I would like it just fine!" returned my brother.

Pledge was so excited that he almost forgot to buy a sack of flour and a bottle of vanilla.

Pledge wanted to run but the sack of flour was heavy; he and Terry walked fast to get home and tell the good news.

"Mama! Mama!" he shouted coming through the door.

"Dear, what’s the noise about?" she asked, thinking maybe he had seen Papa.

"I got a job, Mama, Pledge said, elated.

"What kind of job?" she asked.

"Delivering newspapers," replied the boy. "I’m going to deliver the New Star Daily and I have 39 customers. Isn’t that great?"

"Wonderful!" answered Mama. "Maybe you will make enough money to buy new overalls and shoes for school."

"I’ll work hard," declared Pledge.

"When do you start?" said Mama.

"Tomorrow I will be the newspaper boy for this town," he said proudly.

All of us were happy for him. Maybe he will buy something for me I thought.

I asked Mama if I could make the rounds with him on the first day because I thought delivering papers would be fun. At least the job was new to me.

Pledge was very glad that I wanted to help him.

The paper man dropped the bundle of papers on Mr. Ben’s store porch each morning at five o’clock. My brother picked them up at six o’clock. Pledge carried the bag of papers that had a shoulder strap.

Pledge and I had no idea of what we were about to learn selling papers. Our eyes were really opened to see the people living in our town. Strangers became our very good friends and there were characters that we did not like.

One person we disliked was Mrs. Snootkin. We never saw anything about her that made us want to know her better. We just about hated that woman for what she said on our first day.

"Oh, so you are the new paper boy and paper girl," she said with disgust. "Now maybe you will make enough money to feed that helpless orphan at your house. Your Ma had her hands full without taking in another young’un’.

Pledge and I looked at each other and ran out of her yard.

"She’s awful mean," Pledge remarked.

"Let’s not tell Mama what she said. We won’t make Mama feel bad. We won’t tell Margaret. I like her and talk like that will make her cry."

What a difference it was in the way we were received at the next house. Old Mrs. Weaver lived there alone. She met us at the door with a smile.

When I handed her the New Star Daily, she said, "thanks children." Then she invited us to come in and have tea and doughnuts for breakfast with her.

We had better not come in today," said Pledge. "I am just learning my route and most of the names are new to me. We had better move along. I sure want to keep this job."

"I’m sure you will do fine," said the kind lady. "Wait a minute. I have something to give you."

Mrs. Weaver gave Pledge and I a big golden brown doughnut which she had fried in deep grease.

"Thank you," we said and left her house.

"Some folks are real nice," I told my brother. I think I like helping you."

"You don’t need to help me every day," he returned. "I am going to use my money for new clothes and shoes when I have saved enough after paying for the newspapers."

Most of the places we took the papers to were the homes on the hill and hillsides so we had a lot of climbing to do, but it was fun running down the hills. The hills were so steep we couldn’t stop until we reached the bottom.

Two women lived on the highest hill and there was a narrow road leading up to the house. Pledge would have to walk that road everyday. There were three small houses on each side of the road but no one in those houses bought the newspaper. Jane and Beulah Blankenship lived on the highest hill.

"What are your names?" one of the women asked.

"Minnie and Pledge Huddle," I said.

"Really?" said the lady.

"Yes," answered Pledge.

"Your father couldn’t be Fred Huddle, could he?"

"That’s right," I answered. He is our Papa.

The older woman told us that Papa’s mother was her older sister and that she played with Papa long ago on her grandpa’s farm. She said that she was six years older than Papa. She and many cousins ran all over that farm. I learned that she was Papa’s Aunt Beulah and Jane was his first cousin.

"You mean we are kinfolks?" I said.

"Yes, dear I’m your great Aunt Beulah even though I’m not real old. Jane, here, is your second cousin."

"We never heard about you," said Pledge.

"I know," she said. "Fred and I dropped out of each other’s sight more than thirty years ago. But I’m glad we are now living in the same town. How is your Papa?"

"We really don’t know," I replied. "He has been gone for weeks. He is looking for a job somewhere. We all want him to come home wherever he is."

"Who’s making the living for you children?" she asked.

"Mom sews for folks in town," answered Pledge. "And I will help now that I have a job."

"We must go," I said.

"Please stop over to see us sometime and tell your Mama to come," the younger of the two ladies invited.

"Goodbye," we said happily. It was nice to know that we had kinfolks in town. We hurried along because we were anxious to tell Mama the news.

We had three more houses to take papers to before we could run home. Discovering that a ferocious bulldog guarded the next house and yard, we called out to the man who lived there.

"Mr. Wells! Mr. Wells," Pledge shouted.

A gray-hair man wearing a plaid robe and smoking pipe appeared at the door.

"Shut up, Felon," he yelled at the dog and came to the gate to get his newspaper.

"Good morning," he greeted. "Children, this is where you put my newspaper," he said, pointing to a pipe-like box on the fence post.

"I will do that, sir," said Pledge.

We delivered the last two papers and ran home to tell Mama the news about the two ladies who were our kin.

"Land O’honey!" exclaimed Mama. "Now that you tell me about them, I do recall your Papa speaking of an Aunt Beulah a long time ago. I must visit them come Sunday. There’s so much I have to do on weekdays.

"Mama," I said, "There’s a lot of people in Gablerville that I never heard of before now. Mrs. Weaver is nice; she gave each of us a big doughnut."

"And Mr. Wells has a mean-looking bulldog," said pledge. "He told me to jut put his paper in the round pipe on the fence post."

"I’m very proud of you children," Mama said, hugging my brother and me.

We ate more breakfast at home with the others. I felt good inside, knowing we had finished the job early in the morning.

Neither Pledge nor I mentioned in front of our family what Mrs. Snootkin had said about our mother taking in Margaret to live with us. It was a well kept secret between the two of us. We all liked Margaret. She was a wonderful addition to our family. A good cook, good helper and a great story-teller. It was so natural having her with us, almost as if she had always been there.

I fed the chickens and made the beds while Margaret and Marcella washed and put away the dishes. Margaret swept the house and Marcella dusted the furniture.

Mama planned to have a new quilt for Margaret. She gave Margaret and I a stack of material scraps to cut into small square. There were many kinds of material, stripes, plaids and flower prints. I ironed the scraps and Margaret cut out the squares. It got to be very tiring before we finished but Mama said it had to be done so Margaret could have a new quilt on her bed before winter set in. There would be more days to iron and cut. It would take a heap of squares to make a quilt. Mama planned to put up the quilting frames and let Margaret and I do all the quilting. Mama had to use her time sewing for people so we would have food to eat.

For our noon meal we ate biscuits, eggs, pork and beans and applesauce. All of us liked applesauce and especially when Mama put cinnamon in it.

In the afternoon we were surprised with a visit from Aunt Beulah and Cousin Jane. They couldn’t wait for Mama to come to their house as they were anxious to know Fred Huddle’s family.

We learned so much about Papa’s family and our great grandpa’s farm.

"Marcella is the exact image of my sister Katie," declared Aunt Beulah. "Katie has been dead nigh on to twenty years. Somehow her lively spirit seems to live on in my heart."

Mama told the newly-found relatives that she was glad they moved to town.

"I have something for you," offered Aunt Beulah and she brought out a picture from her velvet pocket book. "It’s a photo of us kids on the farm. There is your pa when he was nine, next to him is his brother, Edgar. Next to Edgar is Susie with her new high-buttoned shoes. That’s me standing behind Susie."

"Well, what do you know!" exclaimed Mama, thanking them for the picture. "I know that I’m going to like having you living close to us. We never lived where we had relatives near us since Fred and I married."

Mama excused herself long enough to make tea for our visitors. We all had a joyful time at this tea party and hoped it would happen again. We were no longer strangers to the ladies who lived on the high hill and they were no longer strange to us. It was like we had known them for a long time.

"How about letting Mac and Marcella come home with us to spend the night?" asked Cousin Jane.

"I – I don’t know," stammered Mama. "I’ve never been without any of my children even for a night."

"We will take care of them" she promised.

"Do you and Mac want to go?" Mama asked my sister and brother.

I think so," answered Marcella. "I want to know what it is like being away from home at night."

"Mama, I don’t want to go," said Mac.

And so it was Marcella that was first to visit Cousin Jane and Aunt Beulah. Marcella left with Cousin Jane holding her hand after Mama kissed her and told her to be good.

Life in the Huddle household had changed so much in the last few weeks since Papa went away. Margaret living with us, the newspaper job and learning to know the relatives which we had not known before existed much less living in our town.

After the company left with Marcella, Mama sewed some more, stopping long enough to make chocolate fudge for Margaret’s birthday. Margaret was thirteen that day. Every time one of us children had a birthday Mama made fudge. We now knew we would get chocolate fudge at least six times a year.

Next morning when we took the newspaper to the house on the highest hill in town we saw Aunt Beulah. She said that Marcella was still sleeping because they sat up late the night before getting acquainted with our little sister.

"Getting to know all of you is good," she said to Pledge and me. "Next week perhaps you can come to stay overnight, Minnie, if it is all right with your mother."

"I would like to come," I said.

Moving along, my brother and I soon finished the morning deliveries.

"Mama," I said on entering the kitchen. "Marcella is still sleeping. Cousin Jane will bring her home in the car later.

It was after lunch when Cousin Jane drove up with Marcella sitting in the front seat beside her. Marcella was smiling as if the most wonderful thing had happened to her. She was so happy with the attention she had received from the Blankenship ladies.

Cousin Jane came into the house and stayed for a few minutes. She carried a large box. In the box was a coat for Margaret.

"For me?" Margaret said much surprised.

"Yes dear," returned Cousin Jane. "I bought a new camel-hair coat for myself. I don’t need two coats. Let’s see if it fits you."

Margaret happily tried on the blue wool coat with black velvet collar and cuffs. It really looked nice on her even if it was a little long.

"I love it!" was the girl’s response. "Thank you! I’m still growing and it will do me for the next year and even longer."

I had never seen Margaret that happy since she came to live with us because she was often sad over losing her Ma and Pa. Now she sensed she really belonged, in that the new-found kin paid attention to her.

"Also, here’s a pair of black oxfords that I am tired of wearing," Cousin Jane offered. "Try them on."

"Fine!" returned Margaret. "They’ll do just fine even if they are a bit big in the toes. I’ll stuff paper in the toes or maybe soft cloth will do better."

"And Della," said Cousin Jane looking to Mama. "Mother has a nice green plaid wool coat if you would like to make a coat for Minnie to wear this winter."

"Good!" returned Mama. "I was going to give Marcella Minnie’s old coat as it is too small for Minnie. I’ll get to sewing on the coat before the weather turns cold."

Cousin Jane left.

Marcella had a good time and she had a lot to say about her visit in the house on top of the hill. They had ham sandwiches for supper and pancakes for breakfast.

"Mama," I asked, "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Sure, dear," she replied. "You can go to the store for a can of syrup and I will make pancakes for breakfast."

"Cousin Jane taught me how to play chopsticks on their pretty piano," Marcella said proudly. "And someday she is going to give me piano lessons. I’ll have to go there to practice. She is a music teacher. Aunt Beulah teaches school, but not in this town. I think she teaches in Pine Hill."

"Maybe she will teach me," I said.

"I’d rather be a singer," joined Margaret.

"You can do both," said Mama.

"I’ll be a carpenter like Mr. Theo," said Pledge.

Terry and Mac had no interest in the future. They went out the door to swing on the swing that Papa had made.

Pledge went to the woodshed to bring in wood to burn in the kitchen stove. The stove was very important to us Huddles for cooking our meals, for warmth in winter and heating water for baths all year long. On one side of the stove was a reservoir to keep the water hot. On the high back was a warming closet to keep biscuits, pancakes and other foods warm.

Margaret and Marcella went to Mr. Ben’s store for maple syrup and butter. It wasn’t often that Mama bought butter but pancakes were not so good without it.

Mrs. Betty was working in the store and waited on the girls. She was very friendly to Margaret and this made Margaret feel welcome in the store.

Margaret and Marcella skipped all the way home.

"Wish I had a good story to read," said Margaret. "I like to read when I can."

"Aunt Beulah has lots of books on the shelf," informed Marcella. "I think she would lend you a book."

"Next time they come to our house," said Margaret, "I will ask her. They were nice to me."

She sang a little song that she made up:

I will sing the song Ma sang to me.

I will sing a song I sang on Pa’s knee.

I will sing the song underneath the tree

I will sing because I am so happy.

I met my sisters as they neared the gate. It was so good to see my newly-claimed sister in this gay mood. It was like the sun was shining all through the house.

"Margaret," I said, "Pledge will have to deliver papers by himself tomorrow. I haven’t got any pay. He wants to us the money he gets to buy his school clothes."