The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1911-04-24
Their Pleasant
Summer

Where. asked the caller, In con
ventionaIly polite tones and wilh
lukewarni interest, "are you going
for the summer
The effect on her hostess was cleo
trical She sat bolt upright. dropped
the teapot with bang and echoed
"Goingl We're not going we're stay
ingl"
my goodness" gaaped the caller
Excuse ne for mentioning II II it's
a tender subject"
tits not tender said her hostess.
energetically. ITS worse-it's an
impossible subjectl We went away
last summer, and that's the reason.
The Tunnlhs announced that they
were going to Europe and said that II
we'd occupy their big place across
the lake for the season. and see that
the servants didn't nght and that the
cows didn't eat UP the garden, we'd
make them our debtors for life.
I'VE stored our furniture when the
lease expired In May and rushed
headlong to our doom. We thought
1t was paradise on earth toward
which we were flying. and maybe IT
would have been If the cook and the
maid and the man of all work at the
place hadn't decided that since their
real family was gone. this would be q
nice time to run home to the old
country for visit And they went,
two days after we came. They looked
sus over In cold and critical way and
dlsapproved Of us and departed.
we got lots Of exercise before we
found help Tom used to rise at four
and weed the garoen and got up at
the same time to feed the chickens.
turn on the automatic pump, get
breakfast and superintend Toms
milking. He was kicked through the
barn door only twice and we conaid.
cred that the record was pretty good
for a greenhorn. He had some minor
mishaps, like poking back all the
beans when they came up, pushing
the sesd ahead Of them and training
the potato vines up on strings instead
of the peas. but trouble didn't really
start until later
One day we were sitting in the
flower garden having lunch, and /
told Dotty. aged four, to 20 indoors
for something We watched her dis.
appear into the house and then Tom
said, Gould anything be more peace.
ful or inspiring than this perfect
dayl' And responded in similar
blank verse. Just then the neighbor
whose cottage was on the lake shore
came tearing around the corner OF
our house
She stared at us as though we an
noyed her Aren't you folks in bath
ing1 she inquired. Wen. somebody
Ia cut in front, and ! Thought
Tom and | did foot race to the
water unconscious and black in the
lake and he tlshed Dotty out az the
face. That child had marched in at
he back door Of the house and as
promptly marched out through the
front door and proceeded to take 4
paddle by herself In the lake. inspired
BY some unaccountable juvenile i'm.
pulse
"Dotty came out Of her trance in
two hours. but during that time got
ten gray hairs an4 Toms nervous sys-
ten was permanently shattered.
III was couple OF weeks later that
Dc1ty and Tom. Jr, remarked that
their throats were sore and the doctor
pronounced 1t black diphtheria. He
murmured something about defective
drains There was blur OF trained
nurses and horrors for time and then
the smoke OF battle cleared away.
Meanwhile the COWS had eaten that
part Of the garden that had not dried
up for lack Of attention and the chick
ems were laying eggs all over the
county The Tunntlls never did get
them back.
They'd send us postcards from Eu-
rope saying, We saw this today. Hope
you are enjoying life at the dear old
home This while was burning
fumigating candles. Or. we came
down this river today How you must
be enjoying the garden green things.
That came the day the cows ate the
last Of the green corn we had ex-
pected 10 use ourselves.
"a little while later Tom dropped
fatiron on his toe and blood poison
ing set IN. Then the Tunnills sent a
lovely card, saving We can just i'm
agine You doing the five-Inile walk
through Elm lane and the woods. We
envy YOU This was while we were
changing the bandages onhis smashed
and painful foot six times a day.
The worst Of all was that the
FAMILY sent Toms pretty and harl,m-
scarum sister Nell to ue SO that she'd
forget the Ineligible man she was try
ing to get engaged to. I produced all
the young men at the hotel and sew.
eral village lights to distract her, and
SO perfectly did succeed that she
eloped with college boy who was
running a launch to pay his summer
expenses. AS the family was saving
up millionaire for Nell when she
should have come to her senses they
atill feel hard toward Inc. and say
should have had more sense