I thought maybe the cream would fill them up again and make them plump but it did n't . I think Susan was secretly pleased . She is past mistress in the art of making cream puffs and it would break her heart if anyone else here could make them as well . I wonder if Susan tampered -- but no , I wo n't suspect her of such a thing . `` Miranda Pryor spent an afternoon here a few days ago , helping me cut out certain Red Cross garments known by the charming name of ` vermin shirts . ' Susan thinks that name is not quite decent , so I suggested she call them ` cootie sarks , ' which is old Highland Sandy 's version of it . But she shook her head and I heard her telling mother later that , in her opinion , ` cooties ' and ` sarks ' were not proper subjects for young girls to talk about . She was especially horrified when Jem wrote in his last letter to mother , ` Tell Susan I had a fine cootie hunt this morning and caught fifty-three ! ' Susan positively turned pea-green . ` Mrs. Dr. dear , ' she said , ` when I was young , if decent people were so unfortunate as to get -- those insects -- they kept it a secret if possible . I do not want to be narrow-minded , Mrs. Dr. dear , but I still think it is better not to mention such things . ' `` Miranda grew confidential over our vermin shirts and told me all her troubles . She is desperately unhappy . She is engaged to Joe Milgrave and Joe joined up in October and has been training in Charlottetown ever since . Her father was furious when he joined and forbade Miranda ever to have any dealing or communication with him again . Poor Joe expects to go overseas any day and wants Miranda to marry him before he goes , which shows that there have been ` communications ' in spite of Whiskers-on-the-moon . Miranda wants to marry him but can not , and she declares it will break her heart . '' ` Why do n't you run away and marry him ? ' I said . It did n't go against my conscience in the least to give her such advice .
Joe Milgrave is a splendid fellow and Mr. XXXXX fairly beamed on him until the war broke out and I know Mr. Pryor would forgive Miranda very quickly , once it was over and he wanted his housekeeper back .
Cross Jem Joe Pryor Sandy cooties day morning sarks vermin