Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-11-29
Her Restful
Summer

This going away for the summer,
announced Whatever at the beginning
of the season, lis merely a fad. Why
go away to some swampy lake and
contract typhoid from the water sup
ply and quarrel with all the other wom-
en- there and have nerves over John
MES tendency to explore the bottom
of the lake and Mamie's admiration
for the ribbon clerk on his two weeks
vacation when you have perfectly
good spot to rest in right here? The
street is wide and shady; the yard is
large, the house is roomy and the
porch is screened in. The motor car
out in the garage probably won't blow
up yet for awhile, and there are
coolies of hot water. Why not be orig
inal and stay where you can enjoy
life? Then when fall comes you will
be rested and in fine condition for
the rush Of winter!"
So the Watchers stayed at home.
1t was early in June that the What
chers' cousins from Six Corners, Ia,
wrote that they would be in Chicago in
day or two and that they would
dearly love to see their relatives if
the latter were in town. There was
nothing for Watchers to do but con-
TESS by letter that they were indeed
in town
When the cousins came they
brought the baby and little Susan and
Amanda and a rabid desire to see as
much of the city as they could by
working "a hours a day. They said
it was splendid that Cousin Whatever
owned such a nice touring car, be-
cause it was SO easy to get about in
it. So they burned up as many gallons
of gasoline in day as the Watchers
had used in two weeks
After they got the hang of things,
the cousins used to let Mrs. What
cher stay at home and take care of the
three children while they roamed the
city. All day long while Mrs. What
cher sat smothered in sticky children
she thought of the cool lake breezes
playing on the cousins brows and how
she had planned daily drive through
the parks and how she wasn't get
ting it.
When the cousins arrived home in
time for dinner they would ask moth
er's darlings If they had been happy.
Then as they dressed hastily for the
theater they would give Mrs. What
cher directions on how to put the three
angels to bed. Sometimes they let Mrs.
Whatever go along if they wanted to
be shown something, but she had to
hold the two children to pay for her
treat. When the cousins left Mrs.
Whatever burst into relieved tears and
Whatever, who was privileged to gaze
upon his motor car for the first time
In two weeks, swore in sympathy.
When Aunt Martha wrote that she
had heard they were in town and
would seize the opportunity to pay
them a visit and do her autumn shop
ping at the July bargain sales the
Watchers ran around in circles, but
Aunt Martha arrived before they had
found cover.
Aunt Martha was a vigorous per-
son, who did not mind that the hottest
wave of the season made it's appear
ance in her train. Hot weather al
ways reduced Mrs. Whatever to pulp,
but Aunt Martha, who was going to
leave them some money some day if
she ever died, insisted on having her
dear niece's valuable judgment on her
purchases. From eight o'clock in the
morning until five o'clock at night she
dragged her dear niece through fur
nacelike Easements, bouncing upon
e1ght-cent Bingham marked down from
fifteen cents and cake tins that were
ten cents less than they were at home.
When the supply of Easements ran
out Aunt Martha took to stuffy cor
ners, where she unearthed year-before-
lasts silks, in price reduced one-half
After she had accumulated two trunk
fuls of this sort Of plumber, she trip
ped on a cobblestone and sprained
her ankle. Yhen Mrs. Whatever wait
ed on Aunt Martha for two weeks, be-
cause Aunt Martha had a prejudice
against trained nurses. After this WIS.,
itor's departure Whatever was able to
catch an occasional glimpse Of the
wife Of his bosom, but he asked at
first who the strange lady was, for
she was such a wreck that he didn't
know her.
Just as Mrs. Whatever was begin
ming to get rested Watchers sister
and her family dropped off the train
to visit the dear relatives and Incl
dentally to shop. AS Whatever and his
sister always got along together just
as beautifully as do gunpowder and
blazing matches, the visit reduced the
Watchers to still deeper misery.
Then the people next door got a
photograph and the young man across
the street took to playing the cornet.
In the midst of these Affections two
more cousins from Iowa came, be-
cause, as they said, the other Iowa
cousins had had such a perfectly grand