Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-09-09
II Broken Compact.
eeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeee

ATELL, for PHYS sake, mother,
w come herel" said Janet Logan.
She stood at the kitchen window, from
which she could see the front gate.
what Is il? 2" asked Mrs. Logan. She
was stirring a small kettle of some
thing on the stove, and did not want to
leave it to burn.
~ just want you to look and see
what's coming in at our front gate"
Mrs. Logan took corner of her apron
for holder and lifted the kettle and
its bubbling contents onto the back
part Of the stove. Then she joined Janet
at the window. A tall, slender, untidy-
looking woman Nas entering the gate.
She had q blue-and-white soiled ging-
ham apron tied over her frowzy head
and her chocolate-colored calico dress
skirt was pinned up about her waist,
revealing q black quilted petticoat and
a pair OF blue-stoelinged feet thrust
into pair of gorgeous carpet slippers
so much too large for her that her walk
shufled to keep the slippers on.
It's Jane Wadlin, !" said Mrs. Logan.
81 know it." replied Janet 'But win
you tell me what she has in that bas-
ket2"
'.Sure enough" said Mrs. Logan,
vaguely, as she peered over the tops Of
her spectacles.
Mrs. Wadlin carried with apparent
effort an enormous clothes basket piled
high with something covered over with
a soiled red-and-white tablecloth. The
basket, which she held by either handle,
was so heavy that it pulled her head
and shoulders forward. and her face
was red and perspiring. although it
was cool Monday morning in late Sep
tember.
There's no telling what freak has
struck Jane Wadlin now" said Mrs. Lo-
gan.
But she and Janet soon knew the ma
ture Of the freak that had struck their
caller that morning, for in a moment or
two the basket fhumped up against the
kitchen door, which Mrs. Wadlin opened
without the preliminary politeness of
knocking.
She dropped the heavy basket to the
floor and sat down on its contents, pant
ing and wiping her red face with cor
ner of her soiled calico apron.
..Myt" she gasped, ''if I amt about
tuckered cut! Why! Amt you wash
ing to-day, Marthy Logan ?"
eve have a very light washing this
week, and haven't been in any hurry
about beginning it," replied Mrs. Lo-
gan. "a jar or two of my canned rasp-
berries had begun to work, and I
thought I'd cook 'em over again before
/ begun to wash. I'd just told Janet
she'd better GO down cellar and fetch
up the tubs and bring out what little
wash we have"
'sThen I'm Just in time," said Mrs.
Wadlin, with satisfaction. "Tve got an
awful big wash this week, and while
I was gathering 1t up happy thought
struck me. Can't you guess what it
wasp
tsNo, don't know as cam
t.Well, 1t flashed across me: why
can't gather up my dirty duds and go
over and wash with Marthy Logan and
make a sort of frolic Of itT When I
lived over in Peakville friend of mine
named Mag Graves and me washed to-
gether every Monday Of the world. One
Monday she'd lug her things over to
my house, and the next I'd lug mine
over to hers, and we'd wash and visit
together. It was real neighborly way
of doing. and we'd awful good times;
and it just flashed across me this morn
ing: why can't me and Marthy Logan
do that wayT and here / am. with my
wash to begin it"
Mrs. Logan looked aghast, while
Janet's face flushed with annoyance,
but Jane Wadlin's perceptions were not
keen enough to show her that she had
made mistake. !
Il do love to be neighborly. she said.
as she got up and dragged the red and