Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-02-29
MR.. WYSP AND HIS WIFE
RY HEEL EN- SMITH DAYTON
NOT At HOME.
az HELEN SMITH pAYT

Isabel Wysp had just completed the
tourney from the first floor to the third
for the sixth time in a half hour, when
the door bell rang again. Sarah was
washing and, anyway. h was always
so slow in answering bells that Isabel
had taken his task upon her own
shoulders. This time it was an Orien-
tai looking woman selling lace. Just
as Isabel had closed the front door, the
telephone ang which sent her racing
to the second floor. Then Sarah
shrieked up from h basement stairs
that the tea and coffee man was there.
Oh. every housekeeper knows how that
sort OF thing keeps up all day long.
irritating as the continuous drops of
water on the head, once used to torture
victims.
Its Just frightful," she complained
to Henry that evening. now my days
are broken up and wasted. The ma
chinery of running a house may not
seem much, but for two weeks l have
been trying to write that paper for the
club-and ] haves't gotten any further
than sharpening Il pencil and writing
the title: The Position of Women in
Thibet.' l think they are mighty lucky
they don't have telephones and tea
and coffee statesmen and agents-but
maybe they do. / haven't w had
time tn open n of those books I'm
supposed to get my material from"
When have you got to have it?"
asked Henry.
DAY after tomorrow, roaned Isa-
"Ill help you write it now" said
Henry. Get the books and I'll skim
out all the material you need and Well
write a dandy
Isabel brought the reference books.
plenty of paper and pencils and they
hGd inst nnCi1N cnnfod hnpoCn1uoo yyhnv,
the doorbell rang. 1t was some perfect
ly nice people to spend the evening.
Il don't blame that woman writer
who fled to England to escape her
"IsabeI went down first taking off
her shoes and creeping on tip toes"
friends declared Isabel late that
night. II feel as if 1 We're in a tread
mill-not one blessed our to call my
own
Henry was too sleepy to do anything
but yawn. I'D help you tomorrow
night, but I've got to go out of town
tomorrow and won't be home until a
late train"
The next morning. however, brought
an inspiration to Isabel For one day
she was going to be free. She was go
ing to prepare her paper in peace m
revel in solitude without interruption.
Sarah" She INFORMED that energetic
person. You have got to go out some
NIttIc lOl lIlG QdN. SSdId1 QlQIl I want
to go go out somewhere for the day
eyes, she was exceptionally and at first
fatty refused to leave her ironing and
other affairs of state. But ISABEL over
came all arguments. Sarah was such
= slave I'd truth she YOU never tell a
home" and she'd delay in a hundred
ways the progress of the article on
Thibet ladies.
The absolute quiet of the home, at
first. elated Isabel. She drew a breath
of relief. She walked stealthily, as one
does when quite alone. Going upstairs.
a squeaky board gave her a nervou
start and she stopped to listen. Just
then the telephone rang. ~ won't an
swer it," she decided, smiling at her
self. in congratulation. 1t CAV her a
wonderfully exhilarated feeling. The
phone continued to ring. She sat down
on the stairs as if. should she make
the least sound. the person at the
other end of the wire would hear her.
hen h thought how silly his was
n defiantly she passedthe noisy in
strument on the way up to her sewing
room.
In a neat hand h wrote: ''The Po-
sition of Women in Thibet." Would
that phone ever stop ringing? She
opened a book and SKINNED a page or
so without in the least taking in a
word of the printed matter. Who could
want her on the phone? Curiosity now
possessed her. Throwing down the
book. she went down one flight of
stairs. 'Hello!" Central informed her
hat tine party had rung off, aging it
didn't matter.
Il could nave saved time by answer
ing it In the first phase" thought Isa-
bel, GROSSLY. She kept wondering WHO
on earth 1t could nave been.
Once more back at her task she tried
to concentrate her mind. A half hour
L a M 10 Ftn~ r1~ hol It,
stairs to investigate a funny noise and
foundt that the cat a caught a mouse)
h jumped nervously when the door
bell rang. 1t rang insistently, but Isa-
bel sat tight. She didn't work on her
article, h was too satisfied at her
display of self control. Too late she
remembered that it was probably that
little gem of a new dressmaker who
q been recommended to her and who
had called by appointment to make ar
r~angements for coming to her. Now she
would have to make a long trip over
to the dressmaker's. What a bother
and waste of timei
The next time the bell rang her
spirit was ~momentarily broken, so she
went downstairs. 1t was only the man
with the gas bill and he might Just as
we'll have slipped it under the door
would have o so had she not been
such a slave to habit-and curiosity.
She didn't answer the tinkle of the
kitchen doorbell, but going to the win
dow a few moments later she saw the