Oh--well now--brown, said Matthew feebly.
There s a barrel of it over there, said Miss Harris, shaking her
bangles at it. It s the only kind we have.
I ll--I ll take twenty pounds of it, said Matthew, with beads of
perspiration standing on his forehead.
Matthew had driven halfway home before he was his own man again. It had
been a gruesome experience, but it served him right, he thought, for
committing the heresy of going to a strange store. When he reached
home he hid the rake in the tool house, but the sugar he carried in to
Marilla.
Brown sugar! exclaimed Marilla. Whatever possessed you to get so
much? You know I never use it except for the hired man s porridge or
black fruit cake. Jerry s gone and I ve made my cake long ago. It s not
good sugar, either--it s coarse and dark--William Blair doesn t usually
keep sugar like that.
I--I thought it might come in handy sometime, said Matthew, making
good his escape.
When Matthew came to think the matter over he decided that a woman was
required to cope with the situation. Marilla was out of the question.
Matthew felt sure she would throw cold water on his project at once.
Remained only Mrs. Lynde; for of no other woman in Avonlea would Matthew
have dared to ask advice. To Mrs. Lynde he went accordingly, and that
good lady promptly took the matter out of the harassed man s hands.
Pick out a dress for you to give Anne? To be sure I will. I m going to
Carmody tomorrow and I ll attend to it. Have you something particular in
mind? No? Well, I ll just go by my own judgment then. I believe a nice
rich brown would just suit Anne, and William Blair has some new gloria
in that s real pretty. Perhaps you d like me to make it up for her, too,
seeing that if Marilla was to make it Anne would probably get wind of it
before the time and spoil the surprise? Well, I ll do it. No, it isn t
a mite of trouble. I like sewing. I ll make it to fit my niece, Jenny
Gillis, for she and Anne are as like as two peas as far as figure goes.
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