Albuquerque evening citizen., 1907-04-12
Considers Summer Fad OF
Watering Places From Her
Own Experience.
CONDITION OF POOR JOHN
WHO REMAINED IN CITY
Sickness Gave New Ideas and
Now Children 90 to Grandpa'S
But Wife is at Home.
(By Catherine Ailman.)

(By Catherine Allman.)
The subject of summer vacations
was up before bevy of fair women
and great was the babel of tongues,
discussing hats and gowns and the
merits of various summer resorts
where beauty finds a greatful haven
from the city's glare and dusty heat
The wise woman listened for a space
TO all the chatter of summer outfits
ana smart" hotels, and then she
spake her mind, and everybody lis
tened, as women sometimes will.
"I spend the summer in the city
nowadays and get acquainted with
my husband. When John and l first
started on our matrimonial venture,
summer vacation trips were not with
in the reach of our finances. L did
my own housework through summers
heat and winters chilling blasts, and
some way we got along and had jolly
good times together, with an occas-
ional outing of day or two. But,
as he prospered in his business, and
my sphere of activities widened be-
yond the needs of home and fireside,
and our pocketbooks chircked up,
the summer vacation germ began to
get in its deadly work.
John would not listen to my stay
ing in the city during the heated term
with the children. and first we went
to the country; but as we grew in
affluence and ambition a six-weeks or
two months stay at seashore or noun
tain became a necessity instead of
luxury. John could not go and leave
his business, il was true, but he did
not care much for summer hotels,
anyway, SO he was wont to content
himself with one or two flying trips,
choosing to remind US of his existence
by occasional brief letters and fire.
quent checks.
Every spring | dismantled and
scrubbed the house from top to bot
tom, snatched down curtains and
draperies. covered the expensive fur
niture with drab-colored stuffs
swathed the chandeliers, robed choice
pictures in mosquito netting. and put
my silver valuable knicknacks in the
safe deposit. Sewing women filled
the house, fitting out the children to
shine as miniature glasses of FASH
ion and the rest of the quotation,
whatever it is, while dressmakers
and modistes haunted my sleeping
and waking hours Finally, when
each infant had a wardrobe of alarm
ing proportions, and / had gotten
our finery in some eight or ten
trunks and boxes, bribed my nurse
girl to accompany US, conciliated the
cook and chambermaid by retiring
them for two months on full pay,
dinner into Johns bewildered mascu-
line ears a thousand instructions re-
sarding the house, we would roll
down to the station in pomp and state
to leave for some expensive place
where the cool breezes were sup
posed, but generally forgot. to blow.
AT these gilded hotels did l find
rest and quiet and peace of mind
Well, i'm those days had / done so
should have hied me elsewhere, for
when a woman spends $500 on a few
summer frocks and hats she isn't
looking for sylvan dales and sunny
brooks far from the haunts of men
And so, on gingerbread piazzas
sat, "A summer hotel fixture worry
ing about the children, wondering
why John did not write oftener
dressing my hair to go in bathing
gowning myself with tender care fol
the sitting promenade, playing
eucher or bridge and engaging In
biOodless social duels and rivalrie!
with other misguided mortals whC
were OFF on vacation trips.
"To be sure now and then tn,
bTeezes blew, and the salt spray o.
the ocean or the sunlit mountain
were inspiring and eXhilarating, bu
when one is paying 50 a day and get
ting dyspepsia for il, when the chill
snobbish tricks and soiling on al
average four dresses a day whel
everybody pushes and jostles an,
begs your pardon and runs over yoI
again i'm their mad rush to be il
the social swim, the simple pleasure
OF nature are apt Ia be lost upol
one. And yet, l could not see. Joh
came as often as his business affair
would permit, | daresay but me
find small joy i'm summer hotels an
the people who haunt them, an
gradually it began to dawn upon m
that / was not quite as necessary {
Johns happiness and well being a
I had been in days gone by; especia
ly so, when / did not see him on
summer for eight weeks, and whe
upon my return I'm the fall he le
me, home and business To take car
of ourselves, while he took his hol
day ON a hunting trip.
Finally, one summer, after goin
through all the anguish of prepari
tions and locating at near-swe
watering place sickness came upo
me, and 1 had just enough Of m
original amount OF brains left To II
sist upon being carried home dr
stead Of to some strange hospital.
"Did you ever come I'm from
summer resort where the CO.
breczes blow into the blisterin
dusty city on a blazing afternoon
summer, crawl through the empt
iifeless streets to your deserted hon
that gave no sign Of life or welcome
Never viii | forget those staring VIII
doWs or dusty blinds or that stun
uninviting house where John ha
kept bachelor quarters and streW
cigar ashes and poker chips and be
bottles with artless masculinit
John was out of town for the da
the woman had not come TO clean al
/ had the same pleasing sensation
entering "A deserted, uncared 4