Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-14

and pulled 1t on the small, chubby leg.
You're too big for me to have to dress
every morning. she said. GROSSLY. The
baby whimpered at that moment. He
was teething and had kept her awake
most of the night. She carried him down
| to the dining room. where Bob and Wal
/ ter. aged six and eight. already were
clamorng for oatmeal and bacon. Their
! mother served them hurriedly. With a
fretful baby she would have hard work
getting the wash out IN time to finish
making Stellas new dress. which she
wanted all complete by Sunday. children $
/ day at church. She hurried the boys off
! 70 school. They did not linger. Her
| tone was too cross.
Then she got the clothes into the tubs.
Stella was playing on the floor beside
| her. The baby, crying, Law in big arm
chair. Usually she had a woman take
care OF the washing. but she had been
unable TO find one for two weeks and
/ had at last been forced to do it herself
| While she rubbed, and alternately soothed
the baby and scolded Stella, who could
get into mischief faster than her mother
coulu drop clothes into the boiler. she
never forgot that tantalizlng vision OF
| Helen as she went to work. cool, well
dressed and happy. 1t was not the first
| day. nor the first year. that Helen mad
made Bess disconnected. 1t seemed to
| her now, perspiring over the hot suds.
| that only that first year had been really
| pleasant. Only during It had she had
! time to fuss with hair and clothes and
plan carelessly. happily, for the future
| Then the boys had come. and she had
been so busy that she had forgotten to
| think of such trivialities is looks. Berts
| salary had not increased so rapidly as
their expenses. Then Stella had come
Life was merely busy before. With her
advent 1t became a rush-a never ending
succession of tasks. tasks, tasks. And
then the baby arrived, and. although the
other children were no crosser than orul-
nary youngsters. this last was always
fractions, always WhimperinE.
The clothes were washed but not hung
out when the boys came tearing home
for lunch.
Isn't there nothing but milk and
cookies and bread and jelly?' walled Bob.
Il don't like EN-
Either eat what ! give you or leave
the table" said his mother. GROSSLY.
Il want some cake" said Stella. and
huffily pushed aside her plate of bread
She pushed it too near the edge. 1t fell
off and broke on the floor Bess spanked
..u- Stella screamed and the baby added
his cry The boys scampered noisily
around the table Bob trying to get pur-
Joined grasshopper from his brother:
Whereupon Bess spanked them both ana
they went out wailing.
Life is not worth living Bess walled
into the basket of clothes that she lugged
| out to the neat back yard. The BABY
| cried. She did not care, Dul let MN q ;
| while she pinned sheets, towels and
| clothes. clothes-gracious Were there
| four children in all the world who soiled
/ so many clothes i'll two short weeks?
When she came in she sat down YEARLY
| II was nearly go and the disheveled
| house glared at her She tidied it list
/ lessIy., swept the dining room. washed
| the dishes and mopped the kitchen. The
! baby had sobbed himself to sleep. So had
| Stella in corner. With compunctlon
] she gathered them up and carried them
into the bedroom. The bed looked invit-
! ing She wanted to fling her tired body
| upon it and sleep forever. But the baby
| was waking even as she laid him down
| She changed his mussed dress for fresh
| one powdered him into fragrance: then