The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-21
Copyright 1908 by BENZ b Hampton.


- n OTHING shocked dreadfully when
~ first to live with my uncle So
Ions family to how Indifferent
the children felt about their fathers
health, but that have been here
q little while, have become indifferent myself,
because you get used to persons being sick all
the time just you do to anything else sad in
life And then. longer 1 live here the less
can keep from wondering If Uncle Scion is sick
rs he thinks be is, and whether, IL he didn't stop
thinking of his ailments, they would trouble Ill.,
so much.
It's his stomach that's the matter with him: but
in spite of it's being troublesome. i've
yet Uncle Scion sick that he couldn eat
a hearty meal; and then afterwards he groans
about it. So I've become caous the rest;
when Uncle Scion says after supper That cake
sets very heavy" I don't look up from my book.
When 1 first came 1 sympathetic that
he told all his SYMPTOMS and everything that
he had taken for his attacks for the last fifteen
years. which was very embarrassing from an uncle
that one has hardly seen. We never allowed
to speak of stomachs by mamma She said
there were things that gentlewoman never
referred to; her poverty and the other
her stomach.
Aunt Matilda takes Uncle Solons ups and downs
seriously. Sizes just excited about every fresh
attack as the children are Indifferent. spends
evenings arguing with him about having doctor,
and fixing him hot drinks. and getting him to try
different remedies. She says to the girls before he
comes home:
ct do hope your fathers luncheon will have
agreed with him..
I've never heard any of them answer her, or
take the slightest interest, except when Pauline
said:
81 wish to goodness ma, you'd let us get out
from under the shadow of papa's stomach some
time.'
Poor Aunt Matilda was so shocked at this that
- hal Do, a,5 cho RI fha
kitchen and made peach fapdoode for dinner.
which she makes very we'll; then Uncle Scion ate
much of it that Aunt Matilda had to spend the
evening putting hot congresses on him.
/ tell all this here because you'll understand bet
ter the great importance of the few words which
Nelly let drop when / came back from the art
school about two weeks ago She looked up with
her little, round face, and said:
"Papa's going to be sick again. Then
she read out of book which was spread open on
the bed:
"Fin in center of flower with chain stitch"
What do you meant" asked.
'.Mamma's found way to him., Nelly
answered. looking over to the magazine again to
see just how the needle placed in the picture
to make a certain stitch, and pulling 1t through
exactly like it. Mammals got new book about
eating and She gone out to get the things it tells
you you ought to have 1t isn't indigestions that's
the matter with him, it's his fat-and that's got
to come off. Mamma said So She read 1t In the
book" Nelly added conclusively.
What do you mean?" asked. when you say
that Aunt Matildas gone out to get the things
the book tells you you ought to eat?"
Nelly took three stitches before she answered.
Then all she said was. 81 don't know"
Nelly is my youngest cousin and room with
her. She is eleven years DID, and very good
little thing-much better than her sister Gladys,
who is sometimes very exasperatng, although she
has great deal of good in her. and for some rea-
son / can't help being fonder of her than am OF
Nelly.
1t would be very glorious thing indeed for all
of if Uncle Scion could be cured, because, as
Pauline said that day she got angry we live in the
shadow of Uncle Solons-bad health. When he
is comparatively well. enjoy ourselves, but the
times when he isn't. both he and Aunt Matilda are
wrapped up in gloom. and they talk so constant
ly about every symptom, that although the children
seem callous. yet none Of them escapes the de-
pressing influence.
You might say that my Uncle Solon's health is
the barometer which measures the happiness OF
this household No one could be happy. even sup
posing you couldn't hear Uncle Scion grooming.
when Aunt Matilda comes out looking like some
1870 actress doing Greek play. holding up a
long finger and saying:
sH-s-s-h. Your fathers very bad tonight"
I went out to the front room. where Gladys was
She looked up from the evening paper and said:
Hes confessed. l knew he did it all along
But If I'd killed anybody. and had kept from con-
Tossing for long as that. wouldn't have con-
sessed What's the good? Men silly!"
Il hear aunties found way to Uncle
Sclcn' toIa her | never encourage her to talk
about the awful things she's so fond Of reading
IN the papers.
"Its going to be fierce. isn't it," said Gladys
She stuck her head into the paper again How
much do you suppose it would cost she said Ito
set this lotion for removing freckles nader"
IL Gladys had the money, she'd have every one
OF the beauty lotions made up that printed in
the daily papers. She loves to smear things on
her face--otherwse she's perfectly careless of her
personal appearance.
+ didn't understand what she meant by saying
wasa's /. .ferce.'' and asked her
you haven't lived through" she explained amy
~ fathers cures. We have-and that's all we
Gave done.'
-Giadys.' / replied. Il don't think you take the