The Tupelo journal., 1909-12-17
MARY
DOES THINGS

Mary HVeS with TWO Sisters q
brother. She writes short stories and
she has written a book. Therefore
the two sisters and the brother are
lenient with Mary and pardon her
some extraordinary things which she
does from time to time. Mary is not
stupid, but when she has work on
hand she is apt to become somewhat
absent-minded.
One day the family moved into a
new fiat. During the process of set.
Ting in the new quarters one of the
practical sisters gave Mary a package
of little hooks to be screwed up in
clothes presses, bathroom, kitchen and
wherever else n might be supposed
to want to hang things.
Those little screws in the end"
said the practical sister, won't screw
into this woodwork unless you make a
little hole with the gimlet. Get the
gimlet out of the kitchen"
Mary disappeared. After a while her
brother heard her calling and found
her In a clothes press vainly endeavor-
ing to bore a hole in the under side Of
an overhead shelf.
Johnny" said she, you'll have to
start these holes. I can't see why, but
somehow / don't seem to have strength
in my wrists to make an impression"
Johnny looked, and then beckoned
silently to the two practical sisters.
They came and gazed. Mary was try
ing to bore a hole with the corkscrew.
One day the sisters came into Mary's
room and began a systematic search
for some article which was lost or
mislaid. Mary was busily writing at
her desk. After a while she silently
rose and began to aid her sisters in
their search. Suddenly one sister
poked the other. Mary was wander
ing around and around the room, peer
ing into corners and cupboards, and
although it was broad daylight she
carefully bore in her hand an I'M
lighted lamp.
Another time Mary took this same
reading lamp into the kitchen to fill
it, it having expired while she was at
work. She performed the simple oper-
alton quite naturally and successfully;
filed the lamp through the little hole
in the top of the bowl, screwed on
the cover of this hole, and then set
the oil can neatly in it's place. Then
she returned, lit a match, and instead
of removing the chimney removed
again the cover of the little hole. One
sister grabbed her just al she was
about to light the lamp By inserting the
match in this hole, but as the match
had gone out probably no catastrophe
would have occurred.
Sometimes it is borne in upon Mary
that she leaves the work of the family
too much to her sisters. One day she
appeared where the two were sewing
and said: Haven't you any work that
l could do? l could help you a while
now
"All right" said one sister. "You
can haste up that pillow-case for me-"
She handed the pillow-case, neatly
cut and laid together, to Mary and be-
took herself to the sewing machine.
Mary finally said, cheerfully: This
is finished, give me another"
The practical sister took the pillow
case. 1t was sewed up, tightly and
neatly, with fine, small stitches, on
all four sides.
One night Mary had came home very
late, after all the rest had gone to bed.
She let herself in with her latchkey
and before going to bed set the alarm
clock for an early hour next morning.
After she had got into bed, however,
she reflected that she would be very
tired next day, with SO little sleep, and
that there was really no reason why
she should not postpone her trip n
day. So she rose, took the alarm
clock, and battered down the long hall
TO the kitchen. There she looked
about for a suitable place to conceal
the clock. Perceiving a tall tin bread
cam, she lifted the cover and tucked
the alarm clock snugly in among TIE
loaves of bread. Next morning while
one of the sisters was getting break
fast, she head a mufTied roar from the
breadcan. Two hours later, while
Mary was at breakfast one of the lat
ter said: what made you put the
alarm clock in the breadcan, Mary"
Mary explained.
But why didn't you turn the alarm
forward?" asked the sister. Mary
paused. why, I might have done
that she said, in such a natural, sur.
prised tone that the two long-suffering
sisters broke into shrieks of laughter.