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on the Green,

    Jerry was glad to see that the doors were open. He had been wondering how he was going to open the heavy brown doors and tall Sam Doody had not told him exactly what to do, except where he would find the dusters in the Parish House.
    These he and Rachel found easily enough and once they had persuaded Uncle Bennie to leave his wagon outside, saying he could not ride it up and down the cement aisle—this was church and he must tiptoe and be quiet—they got to work, each one with a big cloth duster. Since Rachel had neglected to bring a hat, she had to put her handkerchief on her head. To hold this on with one hand and to dust with the other was difficult.
    "This my bubbah?" asked Uncle Bennie, surveying his duster suspiciously.
    "You know it's not," said Rachel. "It's a duster.
    "Oh," said Uncle Bennie a little disconsolately.
    It was very still in church, very cool and very still. They went up one pew and down the next, dusting carefully, dusting even the corners of the dark brown wooden pews. They couldn't remember exactly which pew was Mrs. Widdemeyer's so they had to dust each one carefully lest it be hers.
    It was slow work and soon they felt they had been dusting for hours. Yet they were only halfway
down one of the middle rows of pews. There were two wide rows of pews in the middle of the church and two narrow rows, one on each side. The bright sun outside filtered through the stained-glass windows and, in the beginning, they worked silently and solemnly. After all, this was the first time they had ever been in church unless church was going on.
    Suddenly Uncle Bennie said in a very loud whisper, "Hey. This church? Where everybody?"
    "Sh-sh-sh. This is church but this is Saturday," said Rachel. "Nobody is here on Saturday."
    "God here?" asked Uncle Bennie.
    "Yes. Only us and God."
    "God everywhere," said Uncle Bennie with satisfaction. "Even on Saturday."
    Once the silence had been broken by Uncle Bennie they all talked as they worked and for a time they seemed to be going very feist. How they dusted! Up one pew and down the next. It was really hard work. Jerry did not care how hard he worked though. Thoughts of the little puppy that was going to be his when the last pew and pulpit were dusted put heart and speed in his hands. In Rachel's too. But not in Uncle Bennie's. He was merely making a chivalrous gesture toward this unusual way of spending Saturday. After all, he was only three and who would
expect him to take the dusting of the pews seriously? Uncle Bennie was having a good time anyway, climbing up and down the pews and pushing all the hymnals and prayer books to the ends of their little racks. They'd have to straighten these all out later, thought Jerry worriedly. And how were they ever going to finish by six o'clock?
    Rachel, too, was thinking the same thing. Moreover, her arms were very tired and both she and Jerry had begun to slow up. Occasionally they looked ahead and behind to see how much ground had been covered, and how much was still to be done. There was plenty still to be done. "We should not look ahead or behind," panted Rachel. "Just keep on going."
    Then Rachel had a very bright idea. Here was Uncle Bennie, she thought, only making more work for them, pushing books around. They could make use of him, she decided, and have fun besides. Mama always said, "If you can have fun doing your work, have fun." She could see no harm in that.
    "Come here, Uncle Bennie," she said. "Game."
    "Have fun?" asked Uncle Bennie hopefully. He was beginning to have had enough of church.
    "Have plenty of fun," said Rachel. And Uncle Bennie came climbing over the pew.
    Rachel had a quite long duster and she tied it
around Uncle Bennie's pants. "Whee-ee," she said, sending him sliding down the long pew.
    Well. Did Uncle Bennie like that? He certainly did and now Jerry got at one end of a pew and Rachel at the other and they sent Uncle Bennie sliding back and forth across the pews. They no longer cared