noon
Fred , of the furnace and lawn mower , would shake a doleful head . `` She ai n't drawin ' good . I do ' know what 's got into her . '' By noon of this particular September day -- a blue-and-gold Wisconsin September day -- Mrs. Brewster had reached that stage in the cleaning of the attic when it looked as if it would never be clean and orderly again . Taking into consideration Miz ' Merz -LRB- Miz ' Merz by-the-day , you understand -RRB- and Gussie , the girl , and Fred , there was very little necessity for Mrs. Brewster 's official house-cleaning uniform . She might have unpinned her skirt , unbound her head , rolled down her sleeves , and left for the day , serene in the knowledge that no corner , no chandelier , no mirror , no curlicue so hidden , so high , so glittering , so ornate that it might hope to escape the rag or brush of one or the other of this relentless and expert crew . Every year , twice a year , as this box , that trunk or chest was opened and its contents revealed , Miz ' Merz would say : `` You keepin ' this , Miz ' Brewster ? ''