Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-11-28

helped to make him that. She had al
I ways taken pride in his good appear
/ ance.
Once. when the August drought was
working its burning way, DR. tsrisso,nss
buggy dashed by the house A word was
dropped that a man on the Crane farm
had been Frustrated by the heat. Later
she leafned that 1t was young Mnlligan
wbo had leased the meadow land, bI,f
+ during the hour Of uncertainty sfranga
/ thoughts passed through MARGINS mind
For better or worse" size Is1Hfia,Irt,i
1T might have been worse. / wonder 81
we have To account TO the Almighty for
orr husbands as we do for our children
/ lie promised to protect me aud ei1e1isb
me-and he never did it, But maybe tie
promise ought to have been turned ronnd
Maybe the Lord made me stronger than
! He did David"
4 She looked in the glass and saw face
i that was growing rounder, lines that
were vanishing, eyes that were CROWN,
/ brighter. And she remembered David
! as she had seen him the last Sunday
/ tired, bent as he had never looked be-
fore, hopping his forehead with Tie
handkerchief Nellie had given him last
/ Christmas. She remembered it perfectly
/ 1t was the only initial handkerchief lie
/ had. But that was q frightfully hot fiar
was last Sunday. David did not look
that tired always.
! When she heard about the MulIjgap
boy there was a reaction. OF course
nothing could happen to David. He had
( leased ont this section of the farm ann
i that. He was probably lying under the
trees with a jug of cider Mt his eIbow
/ And resolutely she shut thought of him
out of her heart.
1t was the day before Thanksgiving.
Ida and John were in Boston, and would
not be home until late. The house was
very still. There was no sewing for the
heather on hand. There was nothing ID
DO IN her room-it was always eXasperat-
ingly neat. There was nothing 10 do in
| the parlor-she had washed the rubber
plant that morning and busted the brie-
a-bac. And she did not dare venture
into the kitchen. Mary, the one servant.
had positive ideas in the matter of pre-
pairing THANKSGIVING dinner, and Ida's
parting request to her mother had been
that there should be no interference for
girls In the Connecticut valley are az
scarce as in large cities. and much more
independent. Marcia had longed to stuff
the turkey with savory herbs. but John
had wanted oysters, and Mary knew
how to do it. The odor of spicy pumpkin
custard aggravated Marcia's soul and
made her fingers work neryously. For
one else would cook her Thanksgiving
dinner Thought of it choiSed her.
Il declare. Marcia Crane. you don't
know what you do want. You've been
complaining Of homework for ten years
or more. and now you're so near CRYING
for ii that it's no Joke. You won't live
with David. ana you're worrying John
because vou amt done it no properly
with a divorce. Youd ought to stand
back anyhow. and let David marry II
he wants to. He's right to a woman
to take care Of him if he wants IT, And
there's plenty fools in this world who'd
he glad to get him, poor provider though
lie is
Just then the back-stair door blew
omen and mp the passageway rose the
odor Of buhhing cranberries. Marcia
threw her white apron over her head
md tears tricklcd through the meshes OF
the lace which edged it.
The next morning Ida found this note
ut her plate:
Dear Children: | hope you won't
think me ungratful but I've got to eat
THANKSGIVING dinner in my own house.
I've got to cook my own turkey. ] don't
know what'll happen when | get to the
farm, Maybe I'll come back to dinner
Ida gaspeG. :
John, do you think she's taken leave
Of her senSeSY'
John read the letter through, frowned.
gaZed angrily through the frosted panes
at the storm-swept garden, and then
laughed.
NO, dear; she's iust-just woman.
And doubt il she ever comes back"
And while Ida wept and John tried to
soothe her the cause of their anxiety
marched sturdily up the frozen road to
hp gtII
the back door 1t was unlocked Softly
she raised the latch but no greeting
awaited her other than pugcnt od0r
ana thin thread of smoke pressing its
wav through crack in the oven door
Without waiting TO remove her bonnet
ana cloak she sank on her knees by the
stove and threw open the door A blast
Of hot air, the odor Of burning poultry
skin. swept her face, and she grasped
the tea kettle. Just then the door
opened and David, dumb with amaze
mcnt stood on the threshold.
When the turkey had been duly bastea
and the front draught of the stove adj
iusted to lower the heat Marcia turned
and faced her husband
For the lands sake David. don't y0u
know enough to put some hot wafer in
the bottom of the pan? The breast OF
that turkey is al blistered. And what
time did you calculate 10 have dinner?
1t amt more than 8 o'clock. and that
turkey cooking Cor dear life,'
David stepped softly into the room
and closed the door,
II hadn't never cooked a turkey.
Marcia, and | calculated to give it pleu-
ty of time. Besides, the smell Of it kept
me from being 500 lonesome. had
mind to stun it last night, just to keep
from thinking"
Marcia was untying her bonnet strings
and staring around the Kitchen. Ii was
wonderfully neat-this she saw at
single glance, Then mist came before
her eyes. and she saw nothing for a
minute or So There was Il white cloth
on the table. and beyond the stove was
a roughly made sink with a pump How
she had begged for that pump during the
years wien every drop of water had 10
be carried from the We'll. Aud what
was the matter with the stove? Yes. il
had really been raised ON 4-inch blocks.
She he'd pleaded for that. too; hut some
how David never could find four blocks
that matched, and So she had continued
10 bend over the stove. year in aud year
g,re l..