The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1912-06-11
That Summer
Home

you Ha HFSI 10 OWL 3 tWN-u.-lNAtG
plot OF ground outside Of town with
anything standing on it in the way Of
a shack with a roof over IT, your
friends who don't possess such a piece
81 property regard you reproachfully
as spring comes on. At inopportune
times they thrust at yop remarks Ike
these We'll. ] suppose you'll be leav-
ing coon for your plaee-lncky crea-
turel IF we only felt that we too,
could idle in the country all summerl'
you feel horribly apologetic. You
know that your enrious friends could
buy & hundred places such as yours
and dump them into the lake just to
hear the splash and never miss the
money. so it is a surprise to find your
self regarded as a wretched plutocrat
when the overwhelming reason that
led You TO fee from town was that the
bin collector doesn't come around so
often in the woods.
Two days before I am taking the
boat for Michigan I always get invita-
tions TO the opening dinner at the
country club, an automobile ride and a
theater party, all to take place the
week after I am gone AS I wad tis-
sue paper into the sleeves Of the new
gown am packing and which ] won't
have a chance to wear again all SUM
mer I remember what 1t cost and
seethe with anguish.
1T IS dark when the boat pulls
away from Chicago and if it doesn't
rain soggily when start I rest as
\ sured that IL viii be raining when
arrive IN Michigan. Tt has to rain at
I one ar the other Of these times. be-
cause I am wearing my best flower
trimmed hat that is too huge to pack
and I have just had my suit pressed.
/ There seem to be acres Of my luggage
on the Michigan dock the next morn
ing-trunks, new porch rugs, sew
ing machine and a kitchen stove-and
besides I have to wade around town
in the sand, buying groceries and nails
and mons and matches, before plung-
ing into the cslm country ten miles
from anywhere.
The b0atman who comes for me
does not seem exactly overwhelmed
with the Joy I rather expected him to
show on seeing me again 'HuhI he
groans. Have you got lead in these
here trunks?'
Some time 7 am going to make an
exhaustive study Of the psychological
causes leading baggagemen invariably
to be overcome with surprise because
packed trunks cannot be waited about
on one finger They always are so
righteously annoyed at this discovery
1T IS raining as usual when I am
shunted off at my own dock with my
/ luggage. This is particularly good for
the ironwork on sewing machines and
stoves and is fine for the contents of
trunks. The cottage seems oddly
yelled and investigation shows the
yelling to consist Of unbrokon spider
webs and sheddings from the beech
trees. It does not seem possible that
there are SO many spiders in the
world
"'Fhe strong-armed scrubwOman who
was to meet me is beautifully absent.
but the full tragedy Of this grows
slowly as I raise window shades and
see the thick dust on every inch Of
everything. There are more cobwebs
inside th-4 outside and at the sight Of
the pantry I shed tears Spiders rush
from everything touch. IA a sort Of
desperation / open the box couch to
find a work dress, whereupon a rattle
of beech nuts and cherry pits follows
the hauling forth Of the top layer.
Then something furry and agitated
Darts out and I sit down on the floor
and shrek II was a chlpmunk routed
from his winter lodgings and he now
darts nervOualy ana Indignantly un-
der a bookcase / would Just as soon
live IN the same house with a man
eating tiger as with a chipmunkl
No, said the men who brought
up my soaked belongings from the
pier Mary won't be here. She moved
away No, there amt nobody else
You can get to scrub No, we don't
know any man you can get to clean
the yard and fix the pump-eyery-
body's busy planting the crops No,
there amt no one In town who wants
a job No, you can't get no lettuce
nor berries nor garden truck-they
amt fine yet, don't you know that?'
This when people back IN Chicago
are rioting in asparagus and straw
berries and head lettuce and cucum.
bers!
"Ther may be hundreds of birds
outside amid the lovely greenery Of
June. but don't know it, FOR I am
wrestling with unaccust0med back
breaking tasks inside the house By
Z o'clock that night eat some store
bread and butter and cheese and 4
banana and tumble into bed more dead
than alive There is dust in the air
Iand It is pitch dark and outside the
TREE frogs are dolorously singing.
Back IN Chicago my brutal friends
who enYied me are dining ON luxaries
and iugt starting ont for en- evenings
spin down lilac-seented boulcyards
through the parks
"gamnfhing dr0ns karnlunlf IN TIN