♦ ,J#
| UNWELCOME GUESTi |
| |
% By JACK LAWTON. [•*
t -Jl t
The married life of Beatrice and
Billy had been ideally happy. But
when he entered the little flat one day
and gave to Beatrice a letter, Bil lie's
manner was constrained.
"It's from aunt," lie explained terse
ly, "wants to come and visit us."
"Not," Beatrice saild, "your Aunt
Drusilla, Billy?"
"Being that Aunt Drusilla is the
only aunt I possess, it is naturally
herself." His tone was pettish.
Beatrice's soft eyes filled with tenrs.
"But Billy," she protested, "we just
can't have her. We've been so bliss
ful alone. Your father* has always
held up this sister of his as a para
gon housekeeper. You know how very
particular your mother says she was
about—everything. She's unmarried,
of course, and will criticize me, and
my lack of system, and oh! you
needn't tell me —" as Billy ventured a
remonstrance —"I know that exem
plary kind of woman. She will be the
snake in our Eden."
Beatrice caught herself up. "How
long is she going to stay, Billy V
The young husband avoided his
wife's aggrieved eyes.
"About a month, she says," he re
plied.
Beatrice stiffened defiantly.
"Well, she won't stay a month
here," she said.
"Aunt Drusilla writes," Biliy sug
gested, "thnt she is longing to meet
her new niece. She hasn't seen me
since I was almost a kid. She was
going to be married then, I remember,
but something broke it off.''
"Her own exacting disposition prob
ably," Beatrice spitefully remarked.
"That's not quite fair of you," Billy
defended. His wife smiled.
"You see," she said, "she's begin
ning to make trouble between us al
ready."
Trouble indeed seemed to fall to
Billy's lot. Mentally he blamed, the
nunt who insisted upon thrusting her
presem e where the presence of two,
was nil sufficient. And upon the day
of Annt Drrsilla's arrival Beatrice
fell ill. I
In vain Billy telephoned various
women helpers. The helpers were
busy. As a last resort, and though
his pocket book could ill afford it, Billy
sought a nurse's agency. No nurse
could be promised within three days
at least And though the malady from
which "Beatrice suffered was not
necessarily serious, the doctor assured
him that she must have immediate
care.
Billy himself prepared his wife's
breakfast coffee before he went to
meet the inevitable Aunt Drusilla, and
Beatrice made a face over the coffee.
"It's horrid," she said, ungracious
ly, "and you must insist upon taking
your aunt to a hotel. She can't stay
here now. You see that —" The
voice ended in an invalid's wall.
Billy hurriedly beat a retreat.
Billy considered his problems as he
hurried bis little car toward the sta
tion. and when he saw his waiting and
half-forgotten aunt, his perplexity
grew.
Here was not a quiet old body to be
lightly disposed of, but a smiling and
assured person in pleasing attire, her
shrewd eyes twinkling at his from be
neath waving hair.
"My dear boy!" she cried, putting
forth her gloved hand in greeting.
Then, after his very brief response,
an awful thing happened to Billy.
Stooping in hurried embarrassment to
•;tart the car's engite. the handle
wrenched itself suddenly free from
his grasp to deal him a terrible bio A.
Billy, white with pain, knew what
afterward proved to be true —that his
arm was broken.
It was Aunt Drusilla who gently
forced him into the car, and her com
petent self at the wheel, took him
where prompt aid could be found.
When the doctor had bandaged Billy
Into relief, Aunt Drusilla continued to
drive the car home.
White lipped and weak, Billy man
aged to tell his aunt of his young
wife's illness and of their now help
less plight. Apologetically he sug
gested a hotel as her own temporary
refuge.
Aunt Drusilla good humoredly waved
his suggestion aside.
"I wondered," she said laughingly,
"why it was borne forcibly upou me
that I must spend a month with you;
now I know!"
Beatrice's first intimation of her un
welcome guest was when a sweet
faced woman bent sympathetically
over her bed, proffering, as she intro
duced herself, an invitingly arranged
luncheon tray.
"Billy has had an injury to his arm."
the new aunt informed her, "and I
have made him comfortable upon the
couch.
"Now, sit up dearie, and let us get
acquainted while you sample my cook
ing. lam so glad that I happened to
come where I'm needed." The blue
eyes twinkled through their glasses.
"I'm going to have such a lovely time."
Aunt Drusilla said, "fixing you and
Billy up."
"Oh! we must not impose—" began
Beatrice. But the little aunt silenced
her with a smile.
"My dear!" she exclaimed, "this lit
tle service will be my pleasure. I am
so glad that I cameV'
Impulsively Beatrice held out her
arms.
"I am glad, too," she said, her eyes '
met the oMer woman's honestly.
(Copyright, 1919, Western Newspaper Union) i
KPROUL FULLY
» a 11' jpv A f- f*+ z m 4 *
.»*** ••
Jc • * os --air 4 w vi' '£» %k- ■ its - - > -
governor Says Christmas J .«e
is Potenj rorce Back 01
State health Program.
Harrisburg, Pa—Governor William
C. 4 Sproul sees in the Christinas Ked
Cross Seal Sale oue ol' the mos.. po
tent now btd n g used to eniisc
the public bark of the stales pu l.c
health cnmpa'gn.
"Oniy the CO • »pei at ion of the p'lo
]]<j-. ' Coventor Kjpe'd, who s
honorary chairman of the state sea.
con mittee, "will make it possible) for
the s;ate adequately to < • al with the
..ti'ious uisease problems that lace
'"We cannot hone to prevent all d.s
ea«e. But we can properly hope to go
far in the .direction of preventing
•:i - nbi • disc s>. We can reduce
he dai! rs <»i" contagion. But in every
health movement it is necessary that
the public and* the state work along
the sana lines.
'"The <'j• ;■ is" j* us lied Cross Seal has
back of it the lorce o. Chi':Simas
seminmnt. " But it also stands for
practical endeavor. The raids ra'sed
by ib*' -eal sab v are us-d to bring
j home to all of .our people a realiza
tion of ihe fact that the white
plague can be conquered and a knowl
edg - o} how to conquer it. i i;e
: < iiris i.>:»• < -ai is inrimately associat
i I ivith tlie i :f Id victim of the white
plague. If we can so orfer soc'ety
tlait the children are safe from tlm
white plague, we are •»n a fair way
to soh ii>g our proMcin.
"The private agencies that are fi
] minced by means of the seal >«". e co
ol • rate. I 'understand, with the state
: department >f health, and paricularly
with th. 1 bureau of tuhercui >s's an 1
the h ral tuberculosis diSpes s.irii •.
"In short ;lie s ;il sai heips in k
it ]K)Sft b'e to alig> the p ibli * back oT
the stltte's henbh program. And for
that reason it has my cordial endorsi
men:, as well as the app.O' ill of the
sta' denarii '.en. >f health.''
TU 3S TC ; J L Of" IG C~OV 7. />
SY?<3o' OF CHARITY
AMO HELP TO HUMANITY
The double red < rox> a.> a xymbm
or emblem of the •u*ga dxations tight
ing the while plague has been in use
' for seventeen years. It was his
adopted for this purpose by the In e;-
i>mfl Anti-Tuberculosis Associa
tion in Berl'n in October. 100". It was'
proposed by L)r. C, Sersir-. u. of i?aris.
!>;•. Sersiron took the shape of this
cross from rhe common < I ro'\* de Lor
raine and tfie cross of the Greek
Catholic church. Today this emblem
is used'by anti-tubeYculosis work* . -
all over the world.
'i h N'atio. a ,\ss »cia?ioii for the
S.udy and Prevention of Ttf ercul- > 's
cros for use in die United Stales.
Neither the form nor the prepo ion.-
worn specified and the result was >
varietj ol Shapes jim! proportions. lie
cause of this conditi ■ d e National
As^ocintiomdn 1019 appointed a spe
eial committee to consider the design
and the dimensions of the double 'jar
red cross as the < for all anti
tuberculos's organizations in the
United Stares. The committee report-,
ed in favor of a double cross with
oqual cross arms, the upper standard
! being shorter and the lower standard
longer than rhe cr*— arms: the ends
of both arms an i standards being
poin'u d instead of square.
This design was fixed upon for
these reasons:
Because the design selected is
furthest removed from any design
hiding a religious significance.
Because it is furthest removed
from the well-known emblem used
by the American Red Cross.
Because its v. id. spread use in this
country by many anti-tuberculosis
over a long oer'ed e p
years has associated it in the pub
lic mind with tiie inberetiiosis move
" nient.
The two crosses, the Croix de Lor
raine and the cross of the Greek
Cetho]'.- "-hurch, united ?n '-ornfng the
i ieivi —'s cross, are symbolic of
charity and help to humanity.
YOUR CHANCE TO BECOME
BOND HOLDER OF HEALTH !
- i
k
A new feature of the Christmas
Red Cross Seal Campaign this fall
is the Health Bond. Health
Bonds are used as substitutes for
seals in cases where persons do
not care to accept stalls, at one
* cent each, for the amount of their
j subscription. The seals come in
S denominations Of five, ten, twenty- |
ji five, fifty and one hundred dol- j
i lars.
The Health Bonds can be s
'j bought by a person who wishes'to j
| devote any one of the sums men- i
| tioned Cq the fight on tubercu- 1
; losis and the improving of the !
] public health and does not want I
5 seals.
Liberty Bonds return interest in ]
j I money. Plealth Bonds return n- f
teres' in good health, for Health j
».on Is will help ti' improve th.e
; i health of you • community and
■ your neighlvors. and your health ]
depends partly upon the health <
of your neighbors. j
YOUR St'iY.3oL OF HOPE
111
' I
This is the emblem of the tubercu
losis organizations which sponsor the
i sale of Red Cross Seals at the Christ
: mas season. In this state the organ
ization is the Pennsylvania Society
| for the Prevention of Tuberculosis,
; which has affiliated societies in many
; communities.
REo GfoSS SEAL
| FUNDS MANY OSES
State and Local Tuberculosis
Societies oarry on IViuch
Constructive and defi
nite toork.
Proceeds from the sale of Red Cross
Seals finance the Ih.h. on Tuberculo
j sis. This work in Pennsylvania is
carried on under the direction of the
Pennsylvania Society for the Preven
tion of Tuberculosis. This associa
tion has local organizations in many
localities which conducted the com
munity work. ,
The largest proportion of the money
j coming from the sale of seals stays
in the community in which the seals
j are sold. A small portion goes to the
| State Society.
j The State Society and its associat
j ed branches carry on a definite and
1 construct•%"('.work for eradicating the
white plague and the improving of the
' public health.
Following are the uses to which
i Red Cross Seal funds are applied:
Aiding in the work of the Penn
i sylvania Society, which lias a con
i struct ive program for the preven
j tion of tuberculosis, and organizes,
I co-ordinates and unifies measures
j for the fulfillment of the program.
Co-operating with the state de
partment of health, particularly in
1 the bureau of Tuberculosis Sana
toria, the local tuberculosis dispen
saries, and the state health exhibit;
and with local departments of
health, for the promotion of all
I forms of anti-tuberculosis work.
Carrying on direct educational
. work as to the nature, treatment
and prevention of tuberculosis, such
] educational work being addressed
; to securing the adoption of defin
! nite community activities in the
anti-tuberculosis campaign.
Propaganda efforts for the estab
! lishment and operation by public
authorities of survey, nursing, clin
ic, hospital, sanatorium, .day or
night camp, open-air school or class,
or other kindred agencies.
Educational and other work for
safeguarding infants, school chil
dren, industrial employes, and oth
ers from tuberculosis infection, and
for increasing their powers of re
sistance to such infection.
Looking after men rejected in
the draft because *they had tuber
culosis and also soldiers leaving
the army with impaired health.
Names have been secured from the
surgeon general's office and tuber
culosis workers are hunting out
these men.
Employment of nurses for tuber
culosis surveys or for assisting and
nursing the sick, securing admission
to hospitals and sanatoria, giving
instruction in the home for safe
guarding other members r»f the fan>
ily and the public.
Aiding in the work and develop
| ment of the state dispensaries for
| the diagnosis and treatment of tu
i berculosis, demonstrating the need
of. and, if necessary, temporarily
operating open-air schools or fresh
air classes for children.
Establishment and. if need be,
temporary operation of preventoria
for pre-tuberculous cases, or chil
dren's divisions of sanatoria or hos
pitals.
In an emergency, payment in
whole or in part for maintenance
of patients in hospitals or sana
toria.
After-care, that is, advice, em
ployment, and relief of patients
leaving sanatoria as arrested and
cured.
Relief, of whatever medical or
material form m.-y be needed for
families in which i .re s a e.is > of
tuberculous which eanno- he plac
ed in ° hosnPal
Relief which n. y be needed to
enable a :.1 w':<> is a bread
winner or •<< • raker of far ily to
accept h« sj.irai c; re.
K* >• M w.
y.UNDERS|S
By BERN ICE CONE.
L» 3S 3 X' SQB&. T r_ .. I3BH jy-J
Maida Lane, teacher at Primary No.
5. shrugged into her yellow sweater
and went out. locking the door of the
empty school house after her. She had
always loved yellow. It was, she said,
the color of spring sunshine and daffo
dils. Unfortunately it was also the col
or of a slip of paper that rustled hate
fully in the sweater pocket as she
walked—a telegram from Phil Drew.
"Due in New York Monday, 10 a. m.
Bride with me," it announced cheer
fully.
"Bride with me"' had resolved itself
into a maddening refrain. Everything
that she did kept time to it.
The road from the scljoolhouse to her
heme was an unfrequented one. A
little way down it stood a great red
oak tree. Bob was waiting there as
usual. Quite suddenly Maida threw
her arms around his neck and sur
prised herself by sobbing her heart out
against his ton coat. "Woof!" said
the collie huskily; "Woof!"
"The worst of it is. Bob," said the
girl, sitting up at length. "I haven't
the right to feel this way, even. Just
because you've gone with a fellow all
through high school doesn't make you
engaged to him. And if he enlists and
goes across the water, and you knit
for him. and pray for him. and write
j to him. nnd he writes to you. and you
send him candy nnd and
things. anU he sends you souvenirs,
and —and —why, you haven't any call
to resent it if he gets married, have
you? And there's no reason at all why
you should get bitter over it."
"And. Bob," continued the dog's rnis
, tress earnestly, "if you've so far for
gotten your human nature as to be too
frankly happy when the letters came,
and too openly puffed up over the sou
venirs. why. then, you must expect
Brookville to smile a little, and pry a
little, and pity you some when you
receive a telegram like . this.
"So be awfully nice to Mr. and
Mrs. Philip Drew, but not too nice, or
Brookville will know how we feel —and
that's one thing, Bob: Brookville may
, gross that we feel badly, but if's never
going to know absolutely certain, sure.
Come on, boy; let's be happy! Race
you!"
With a brave little attempt at laugh
ter from Maida and a joyous bark from
Bob they were off.
On Monday afternoon, as the teacher
of No. 5 again reached for her yellow
sweater, a shadow fell across the
schoolhouse floor. She looked up
quickly. Phil Drew's six feet fired-the
door frame. The sunlight buck of hiin
gave to his figure the illusion of a
statue done in bronze. Maida's heart
began to beat a glad welcome that was
as quickly drowned in the refrain,
"Bride with me."
She held out her hand formally.
"Phil Drew!" she exclaimed, with a
smile nnd what she considered the
proper amount of polite interest. "I'm
so glad to see you back again!"
The bronze statue blinked in amazed
chagrin. "Didn't you get my telegram?"
It demanded.
"Of course. It was so thoughtful
of you to let me know just when you
were coining. T want to congratulate
you," she continued sweetly. "It will
, give me a jrrent deal of pleasure to
meet Mrs. Drew."
"Huh?" inquired the bronze one, too
dozed for elegance of speech.
"I'm looking forward to meeting Mrs.
Drew," Maida repeated, slightly puz
zled in her turn. "Your—your telegram
said—"
"That we were due at ten." inter
rupted Phil. "I hoped you'd meet me."
"Why—" she faltered. "I—l didn't
think you would want me to."
Phil frowned. "Look here, Maida."
h - protested. "I don't know what you're
driving at. but you don't seem over
joyed to see me, that's sure. If there's
someone else, why don't you say so,
and not —"
"No." said Maida with the tragic
finality of eighteen, "there will never
be anyone else for me."
Lieutenant Philip Drew seized hun
grily upon this assurance, and would
have seized hungrily upon Maida. but
that lady indignantly pushed him
away. Her eyes blazed angrily, but
there was a hint Of tears in her voice.
"I think you're the f-funny one." she
said, thrusting the telegram into his
hands, "to send me this, and then come
here and pretend —"
"Ha. ha!" vociferated Lieutenant
Phil, when he read the message. "That' s *
ricji —'Bride with — '. Say. girlie, did
you honestly think —why that's Tom
Pride —you know. I wrote, you about
him, my buddy—he's over at the house
now; home with me—best fellow
that ever lived. Just a little mistake
in capital, that's all. 'Bride with—'
no, sweetheart. I had to come home to
get one of those." - •
i (Copyright, 1M.9. McClure Newspaper Syn
dicate.)
Sad Is Sad,
A mother, who was rather fond of
the cheaper 10. 20. 30-cent melo
dramas. one afternoon took
daughter, who had grown to consider
herself above that sort of thing.
The daughter was bored, but the
mother was greatly interested, and
finally, when the heroine had got into
a seemingly inextricable position,
broke down and sobbed heartily.
"Mother. I wouldn't cry here." whis
pered the daughter significantly, ac
centing the last word.
"Let me alone." repkied the other,
hysterically. "If a thing is sad. it's
sad; I can't cry according to price."—
Life. I
WILSON'S WORDS
CLEARUP DOUBT
CALIFORNIA THROWS OVER TS
LEADER, JOHNSON, AND
RALLIES TO LEAGUE.
v¥EST GIVES HIM OVATION
Ail Doubtful Features of Pact Are
Explained Away By President, and
Former Doubt are Hasten to Give
Him The r Support.
(By Independent . s Bureau, form
erly Mt. Clemens. News ureau.)
Aboard President v, iiron's Special
Train —A continuous oa alien along the
Pacific coast and then 0:1 his eastward
way back toward the capital was given
to President Wilson as he came
toward the end of his month daylong
; peaking tour in behalf of the League
of Nations. Calif; rnia, particularly
the delightful city of Los Angeles, went
wild in it.- enthusiasm for him and his
advocacy of the League, and it was
in that state, perhaps, that he did his
most successful missionary work.
Hiram Johnson, California's former
governor, now her United States sena
tor, and considered by her as the most
likely Republican candidate for the
presidency in 1920, had before the ar
rival of President Wilson, convinced
a great number of citizens that the
League as at present formulated was
not a good thing. He had told them
that the United States, because of it,
would be drawn into every petty
European quarrel; he argued that we
would lose our sovereignty by joining
with •-»*>*> TT° h 1
■Limed the presici ■ 1 f j" -issentins t •
the possession by * « i a.n of the Per.in
ula of Shan Tun;; • China.
BUREAU CHANGES NAME
_
The Mount Clemens Newf- I
Bun au, which has been furnishin. !
r ports on President Wilson's tour ]
in behalf of the League of -Nation:
t 5,500 papers, has adopted a new ,
| iv.) me and will h?-r«*after be known
1 as The Independ< at News Bureau. J
Mr. W ] on., with clear logic ant:
:i c.' :liug < ioquence, answeree
th ■ entire sat: faction of Calif or
. . people ever. objection which
.•a:-)** Johnson had made to th*
■lO. And thou: ands of the state'?
jliizeris deserted 'lie Johnson stand
■1 imm :-diately and rallied to the sup
re of th > pre: ir ; More than tlvr
they came forward and said, "We
I were against you, Mr. President, but
you have cleared everything up and
now we are with you heart'and soul."
Still more than that, they let Senator
Johnson know that they were no
longer with him and that they disap
proved of the speaking tour which h >
himself was making in opposition to
the League and so powerful was tae
volume of public opinion which reach
| ed him, that the senator almost iiy
, mediately abandoned his tour. Th
Shan Tiing ques.ion, because of the
! anti-Japanese feeling vhich undoubt,
i ly exists along the Pacific coast was
| the most serious which the president
liad to answer. He explained to the
' people-that he had been powerless to
' prevent the rich peninsula from being
iven to Japan. England and France,
through a secret treaty, had promised
it to Japan for entering the war and
remaining in it. That treaty had t
be carried out. Anyway it was not
| China that was losing Shan Tung, but
Germany, which had seized the terri
tory from China in 1898 and held it
ever since. Japan had promised, the
president explained, to return Shan
Tung as soon as the peace treaty was
ratified and it was only through the
ratification of the treaty with the
League of Nations inclusion, that
China could ever expect to get her
former property back. And she surely
would get it back, he declared, through
the ratification of the League. There
fore, through the: same instrumentality
no other nation could again prey upon
the "Great, patient, diligent, but help
less kingdom." As to our being drawn
into any European conflict. The pres
ident pointed out that no direct action
such as the sending of troops to any
part of the world to maintain or re
store order could be taken by the
Council of the League without a unani
mous vote of the council members,
therefore our vote could at once nega
tive any such proposition as sending
our soldiers where we did not want
them sent. Besides, Mr. Wilson argued,
"If you have to quench a fire in Cali
fornia you don't send for the fire de
partment of Utah." But, he argued.
:here probably never will be another
war, if the League is established, for
the members promise either to arbi
trate their difference and accept the
decision of the arbitrator, lay the dif
ferences for discussion and publica
tion before the Council of the League
for a period of six months, and then,
if possible, accept the council's advice.
That failing, they agree to refrain from
war for a further period of three
;r onths and nine months of " cooling
oa," the president contended, would
irevent any armed conflict. These clear
explanations satisfied every reasonable
h c> arer and destroyed the "Bugaboos"
which Senator Johnson and others had
raised against the League. Through
rugged Nevada into Utah, the land ol
Mormons, the president swept to find
hat those people were heartily
with him for the League and & per*
manency of peace.'
.irrsrrTr mi—ma
THE MAY BASKET j
By GENEVA A. ELDREDGE. I
Scent of apple blossoms tilled Cyn
thia Smith's living room, a clumsy bee
tumbled up and down the outside of
the screen door, and now and then a
swallow parted across the sunshine,
his blue wings glistening. Away down
the street sounded the rat-tat of a
drum, and Cynthia heard the patter
of children's feet runuing toward
the town squas?. Still she sat tense and
upright in the old-fashioned rocking
chair, her mouth drawn in a straight
hard line, her eyes fixed upon the
work in her hands.
The screen door squeaked on Its
spring and a round-faced, brown-eyed
little boy squeezed in, his eyes filled
with surprise when he saw her sit
ting there so stifT. her work in her
hands, and he stammered a little as
he said: "Wh-why, Aunt Cvnth, aint
you going to meet the train and see
the p-parade?"
Soft and quick came her answer:
"No, dear, not today."
"But Aunt Cynth, they ain't goih' to
be no more p-parade days, an' I got on
my white suit, an' mother thought
maybe you'd like to have a little boy
what was all spic and span to go wiv
you."
And his little face grew wistful and
troubled. He had never seen an Aunt
Cynth like this before, so straight and
strange.
He meant to know before he left
just why she was staying home the
day everyone else in town was going
down to welcome the boys from
France. So he crept up close and
whispered: "Ts it 'cause Joe ain't com
!n\ auntie?" Tears sprang to her eyes
as she gathered the little spic and
span boy close.
"Yes, Teddie boy, that's just why
auntie isn't going. She can't bear It."
Now that Teddle was sure he felt
that lie ought to say something to
help make auntie happier, so he said
as he -roked her face with his fat'
little hand: "Never mind, auntie;
I've got a secret and maybe tonight
'bout dark you'll know it. Maybe
right 'fore sn;.per. maybe right after,
anyway, don't you come <>ul doors
right that time, will you?"
And auntie promised to stay In the
house. Then hearing his mother call
ing ho scampered away leaving Aunt
Cynth alone with her thoughts. Slow
ly she closed her eyes and In imagina
tion saw the town square filled with
people, llie tr in pulling in tilled with
returning soldiers, the happy greet
ings. and far ;yid faint she heard the
band and the cheering.
The hot tears trickled slowly down
her face as she whispered, "And mine
reported missing; my boy, who was
the pride of my heart !" And then
Ted die's happy little face seemed t<f
shine out, and she remembered what
1 a comfort he had been all "the weary
jmonths, "and now he is coming to
hang me a May basket, bless his dear
little heart, and 1 must cheer up for
his sake. I think I will plan a little
surprise myself."
So she went into her dining room
and set the pretty table, bringing in
great bunches of apple blossoms to
decorate it with until the room looked
like fairyland in the pink and while
dress. She frosted Utile round cakes
and made an iced drink for the crystal
glasses, and almost before she knew
it, twilight came drifting down. The
drums had ceased their rat-tat and
happy voices called to one another In
the street. "It's almost time for Ted
die and his secret," she thought as she
patted her hair into place. Then she
heard steps tiptoeing up the board
walk and a child's quick panting
breath, and she smiled the old
time glad smile that she used to greet
the boy with who was missing tonight
when he came to t hang May basket*
at the very same door.
When two fat fists pounded hard on
the screen door she waited only long
enough for a small boy to hide before
she opened the door, to find a dainty
little basket, all fringed and festooned
and fairly bursting with candy kisses,
setting on the step.
"Why, how surprised 1 am," she
said. "Who could have left this beau
tiful little basket here? Surely it's a
mistake: some little boy must have
thougftf Susie Grimes lived here."
Just then a small boy in white wrig
gled out from behind the snowball
bush and called breathlessly, "No, no.
Aunt Cynth. 'tain't no 'stake, it's my
secret and some more of it is hind
the catalpa tree. You come see." But
Just then a khaki-clad figure sprang
out with wide-open arms, and then
Ted's secret was out.
"Oh, Joe," cried Aunt Cynth as she
wept in his arms, "how you must have
felt not to find me at the train to
meet you."
"That's all right, mother; I don't
! blame you under the circumstances.
"When Ted told me his secret I
thought I'd wait and surprise you.
"Some May basket all around, hey?
Say, Ted, it looks like frosted cake#
and lemonade in the dining room; let'e
hurry for mess."
And as mother and son wiped the
tears of gladness from their eyes, a
little voice shrilled "out: "You won't
never cry no griore on p-parade day,
will you, Aunt Cynth?"
(Copyright, McClurt- Newspaper Syn
dicate.)
No Housework for Them.
"Well, the soldiers learned to
wash and dook."
"Yep, the present crop of nridea is
going to have a perpetual cinch."