El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-08
MARRIED LIFE
Helen Clears Out the Clos
cts, But Finds It Hard
To Throw Things
Away.
hh@O YOU want these boxes,
ma'am?r

Della nanQeH OOWn the rest OF the
boxes. then climbed heavily from the
rather shaky stepladder.
When she had gone back to the
kitchen Helen sat down on the. floor
and began opening up the thlngs.
do with it all2 While their new apart
ment would have more rooms, the
closets were smaller, and she must
condense and throw away
The first box was filled with old nat
trimmings, too good to throw away,
yet would she ever use them? Here
was a black wing from winter before
last hat. It was an expensive wing
and just as good as new.
And there were those lovely silk roses
from that summer hat she had bought
at Allouise's. She handled them almost
a becoming hat. Surely she could use
these roses on something else. And
these were the lavender plumes she
had intended to have dyed.
In all that box there was, after all,
nothing she could throw away. The
next was a roll of patterns. At least
she could make away with some OF
those.
A skirt pattern tied with bit of
blue and white foulard-the material
she had used. How could she ever
have thought that full pleated SKIRT
attractive2 This was the waist that
went with it What big sleeves and
wide reversi A kimono pattern-sne
would keep that. Kimonos were al
But when she tied up the pattern
package it was much smaller. ThaI
much she had got rid OF, and the
tissue paper would be good for pack
shoes Too Small.
The next was a shoe box Those
beaded slippers she had bought at a
sale for S1.49. They had seemed small,
but the clerk had assured her that
with thinner hose they would be Just
right. Yet even with her sheerest SIX
stockings they had still been too small
and she had never worn them
She took off her shoe TO try one on
now. It was tighter than ever were
her feet getting larger2 Helen hao
always had very small loot ID -.
And the thought that she might now
have to wear three was far from
pleasing.
The Slippers went back into the box
The only person she knew who could
wear her shoes was the washerwom-
ans little girl But pair OF nlgn-
heeled beaded slippers would be nara
y suitable for her Perhaps some tlrns
she would find some one VINO couIu
The next package was small and
neatly wrapped. She felt it inquiringly-
Some of these things had been packed
away so long she had forgotten What
Oh. yes, that sofa cushion cover she
had never finished 1t was MADE o.
tufted squares of silk, but 1t looked
change in sofa, cushions as in every
thing else Yet there was the silk ana
cord and all the work she had put , on
it Perhaps Della would like It she
called her from the kitchen
Della, here's sofa cushlon you can
have-if you think you can unlsn II
It'll be nice for your room
But Della, was never grateful Tor any
gift. She never seemed to appreciate
anything. And when she took this with
an ungracious, I amt got nluSh tli4ie
L hack
her boxes, once more vowing she would
never give Della another thlnS. Sne
always regretted tit always MADE
her uncomfortable -
together with a couple OF shawl
straps And she had thought them lost.
They had looked everywhere 1or tnese
when they went TO Europe she 1alo
them aside to be used in moving.
A Difficult Task
A cumbersome brown paper bundle
she opened up, one end Her gyI1l llitt
that2 She would never need II ana as
yet she had found no one to give II 70
And so one thing after another she
unwrapped and wrapped AGAIN
Most of them she woU probably
never use, yet they were 100 soOo ~
There is nothing more discOuraging
than an overhauIfng OF closet shelves
and old trunks. And Helens mlno
was never one Of prompt decisions;
She had always to hover over ana
anguish about a thing before she couId
really decide what to do with it SO
now she was spending a whoie aItef-
noon and making but little progress:
When she opened the bandbox with
her winter hats, she forgot how late
it was. and began trying them on
What difference a season makesi Not
one of the three could she wear as 1t
was. The black velvet would have 70
be reblocl1ed and the crown mace
lower. How would that black wing
look instead of this feather
Again she opened the box OF trim
mings Before she realized 1t, she was !
trying the effect not only OF the wing, |
but of most of the other trimmings on |
all of the three hats.
What lot of time she was Wasting;
she put back the hats and
trimmings, guilty conscious that this |
was not helping to clear out the |
closet She could plan her winter mil 1
linerv some other time. Now she must /
get those things Strengthened up. So !
again she dashed herself back 10 the /
difficult and depressing task
Hello. what's all this! Wen, you |
do look a sight
'Oh. Warren. I didn't know you were /
coming so early" and Helen rose |
hastily. painfully conscious of her |
and of the Uttered floor about her;
Nice mess you've got there Coin to i
throw away all this truck
Some of it," weakly. 'Oh dear, it's /
so hard to decide just what TO throw
away"
'Hard2 Well, it wouldn't be hard for /
me- wouldn't take me long to clear /
cut that stuff You'd look better if 4
you'd rub that smudge off your nose"
Helen retreated hastily to the mirror |
Oh she was a sight! And she could /
never bear for Warren to see her at /
disadvantage.
well, you're not going to fool
around here and make dinner late, are
vou2" he demanded.
"Oh. no, dear. I'll just shove these
things in the bottom of the closet and
90 over them tomorrow.
Huh. and waste another day. Fin |
sh it up now-youVe got half an hour
Chuck most Of 'em out You want to