"MILK, AN' SUGAR IF YOU HAVE IT"
CECILIA
OF THE PINK ROSES
BY
KATHARINE HAVILAND TAYLOR
ILLUSTRATED BY
MAY WILSON PRESTON
NEW YORK
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT, 1917,
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TO
MY DEAR MOTHER
SOURCE OF MY INNER PINK ROSES
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I Where Is Gawd?
II The Vision of a Promised Land
III The First Step into Canaan
IV Learning
V Disgrace
VI A Hint of Pink
VII Santa Claus
VIII A Little Touch of the Man with the Hour Glass
IX Home
X My Best Friend
XI Acceptance
XII Pain
XIII A Request
XIV Pink
XV Firelight
XVI The Mystery
XVII A Relapse
XVIII Forgiveness
XIX Spring
XX Pulling Off the Thorns
XXI Pink Roses
CECILIA OF THE
PINK ROSES
CHAPTER I
WHERE IS GAWD?
The Madden flat was hot and the smell offrying potatoes filled it. Two or three fliesbuzzed tirelessly here and there, now and againlanding with sticky clingingness on a smallboy of four who screamed with their advent.When this happened a girl of seven steppedfrom the stove and shooed them away, saying:"Aw now, Johnny!" and Johnny would quiet.
The perspiration stood out on her upper lipand there were shadows, deeper than evenIrish ones should be, beneath her eyes. Thesun beat in cruelly at one window which wasminus a shade. At another the shade was tornand run up crookedly.
In the hall there was the sound of a scuffle,then a smart slap, and a child's whimperingwail.
"What's—that?" came in a feeble voice fromthe bedroom off the kitchen.
"It's the new gent in the flat across whackin'his kid," answered the small girl.
"Oh," was the weak answer, and again therewas quiet, broken by the sizzle of hot fat, thetireless buzz of the flies, and now and then thelittle boy's cry.
"Here, Johnny," commanded the smallmaiden, "come have your face washedoff." Johnny objected. She picked him up withdecision, and set him on the table with resoundingemphasis, where he screamed loudly