Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-01-26
HIS SOUTHERN HOME.

"Shall | put in the pale blue evening
gown, dear?" asked Mrs Worthington.
She was packing trunks. because they
were going to Edgar's home, down in
Mississippi, to visit the old plantation.
Eyes, darling, do" said Mr.. Worthing
ton. He sat on the edge of the bed and
smoked, thus greatly aiding his wife.
He looked at her fondly. The old folks
had never seen Dora, and now at last he
would take her south, that she might see
his birthplace, and be feted by the aunts
and cousins, the married sisters and all
the rest.
Its like another world,' he said
dreamily, mot like it is up here, where
they're all so cold and unsociable. Wen
stay a couple of months, by George! /
can arrange it. That will give you
rest from this beastly little fiat"
Mrs. Worthington sighed happily.
''Will the cotton be growing?" she in
quired, "and the sugar cane? And the
magnolias? Oh, how / long to breathe
their sweet perfume"
Mr.. Worthington assured her that the
magnolias would be working, even if it
was a bit late for cotton.
Pack all your best clothes,' he adj
vised. "Ihe govnor does a good lot Of
entertaining and we'll be gay. Every
one will want to meet you. It'll be like
living again, instead of cooped up in a
New York flat"
Mrs. Worthington packed harder than
ever. She crawled under the bed and
brought forth boxes of hats and raj
ment. They had no other place to keep
things.
She furnished up all her gowns, that
the relatives needn't think that Edgar's
wife was not smartly dressed at all
times. He had told her that they
dressed each night for dinner. 1t would
all be so different from dining in res
taurants and having ones friends around
to the fiat in an informal way.
For three nights before they left the
Worthingtons dined at home alone, but
Dora wore her most lecollete frock,
while Edgar, equal, Impressive, had
donned full dress. Although Dora ripped
her train on a rocker, because everything
was so crowded, and Edgar felt horribly
uncomfortable, as he had fattened some
what since last wearing his clothes, din
ner was quite successful.
"When we get back well do this all
the time" said his wife. ''You know,
dearest, we have grown so careless in
many ways. Let us observe the GUS
toms of polite society after this, even
when alone"
Edgar agreed. The more they looked
lat the tiny fiat, the more alluring seemed
the prospect of life ON the plantation
He described the luscious bruits, the
hot biscuit and all the dishes with which
old Aunt Caroline would regale Them
There We're enormous closets. in which
fifty dresses might hang, and everywhere
there would be room, and lots of it.
Dora pictured in fancy the plantation at
night, when every window was agleam
with light, and arriving guests, come to
welcome them, would drive under the
/ porte cochere, and enter through the wide
doors. She could hardly wait
On Tuesday morning she locked the
windows, turning up her pretty little
nose as she looked into the collective
back yards below. ooh. if only we night
never return to it all,' she thoue :. In
the stuffy kitchen an unwashet' bot
tie stood in the sink. The dl ter
creaked and ratified its way to gper
floor. Dora took off her gloves and
washed the bottle. The Worthington's
couldn't afford a servant
A cockroach peeped coquettishly out
from behind the soap dish She real
lied that flourishing family of cock
reaches would be in possession before
they returned 1t is the way of cock
roaehes-and lats-left unchaperoned. al
wish we were never coming back" she
said aloud.
The journey ebgan.? Edgar sought the
smoker late on the second day Dora.
with magazine, made herself comfort
able in the sleeper.
1t was warm in the car. The magazine
slipped from her lap. She slept.