Mail Order Millie by Katie Crabapple Read Free Book Online Page A

going to take up all her energy.
    Patience nodded, taking the clothes and putting them in the basket reserved for the girls’ laundry in their bedroom. Millie had often helped with the bathing of the younger children at the orphanage, and went about the chore quickly and easily.
    She plopped the baby into the tin tub George had filled with water while she cleaned the dishes. She washed the baby’s hair, singing and talking to her the whole time.
    Grace splashed happily in the water, smiling up at Millie as if she were her favorite person in the world. She let out a loud squeal of protest when Millie picked up her slippery body and wrapped it in a drying cloth. “No!” she yelled, reaching back for the water.
    Millie laughed. “I’m glad you like to take baths, Gracie, but your brothers need a turn.” She gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek and handed the baby to Patience, who took her off to dress her. “Jacob, you’re next. Do you need help with your clothes?”
    Jacob glared at her. “I’m a big boy. I can undress myself.” To prove himself, he threw off his clothes and stood before her naked. “I hate baths.”
    Millie smiled. “But you understand you need to be clean for church in the morning, right?”
    He shrugged. “I guess.”
    She picked him up and put him in the bathtub, talking to him as she washed his hair. “I’ll let you wash the rest,” she told him. “Be sure to wash everywhere, even behind your ears!”
    She watched as Jacob reluctantly picked up the soapy cloth and washed himself. “I’d rather be like the pigs and take a bath in mud,” he mumbled.
    She laughed, loving the way his little mind worked. “Mud wouldn’t get you clean, though, would it?”
    He shook his head. “I hate being clean.”
    George had gone into his bedroom and stepped out to hear his son’s words. “Stop complaining, Jacob. Everything is easier with a smile on your face.” He sat down beside Millie at the table. “Thanks for mending my shirt.”
    She nodded, not taking her eyes off Jacob. Right now she didn’t even want to look at him. Besides, how was she going to take a bath with him in here? She wasn’t going to shuck her clothes off in front of a man. She hoped he left voluntarily, because with the mood she was in, she wouldn’t be able to control her words when she asked him to leave.
    Jacob stood up, and she held out a cloth to dry him. “There.” She helped him pull his nightshirt over his head. “Send your brother down for his bath.”
    George stood. “I need to empty and refill the tub before Michael gets in. Jacob can turn the cleanest water into mud.” She stood and helped him empty the tub out the back door. They carried the tub together, and he started to refill it again.
    Michael came down and undressed, climbing into the full tub. “Would you like me to wash your hair for you, Michael?” Millie asked him. “Or do you want to do it yourself?”
    “I don’t want my hair washed.”
    “That’s not an option. Do you want me to do it, or do you want to do it?” she asked again.
    He sighed heavily. “I hate having my hair washed.”
    “It’s getting washed. Me or you?” She was surprised George hadn’t gotten into the fight, but he just sat watching the interchange from the table. She stood with her hands on her hips letting the small boy know she was getting her way whether he liked it or not.
    “You.” Michael stepped into the water and sat down reluctantly. “How come my hair needs to be washed? Papa never makes me wash it.”
    Millie looked over at George who was studying his nails. “That’s exactly why it needs to be washed. It’s filthy!” She quickly washed his hair and sat back at the table. These children really did need a mother. She bit back the ugly words she wanted to say to George about his parenting. Yes, his wife had died, but that was no excuse for letting his children run around filthy.
    Once Michael was off in bed, Patience took her turn. She washed