The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-11-12
{. THE N STORY +.
BEss' AW AkENING.
Copyright. 1918. by W. We,
toopyrisht, 1913. By W. waasrl

copyright. 1918. by w. Werner.)
Helen Grayce hurried past at seven
n Il morning on her way to the IL"
She was huttoning her long. white
gloves as she went. Her skirt waist
was crisply white and clean. her tai.
lored skirt hung straight and even,
her hat was Il small. becoming, mod
lsh affair; her face MAS serene. Bess
watched her obviously through the
window of the dining room. She was
y far away for details. but she knew
that Helen's finger nails were mani.
cured daintily. that She eNuded II faint
odor Of jassamine, and that her hair
was GLOSSY and trig. Over her shout
der she cast a disconsolatc glance in
the mirror. They We're both twenty
nine. They had gone to school to.
gcther. So both knew. But Helen was
a lovely picture. Bess was a tired.
untldy woman. Her hair was twisted
in Il tight knot. There was no timo
for hair tlufing or brushing, with
Berts breakfast to be ready by $40;
then the children to be dressed, fed.
and sent to school: then the house.
work. Today was washing day. In
the hall stood a basket hcapcd high
with ginghans. rompers. p%etticoats.
taolecioths. and napkins. Scss groan-
ca. Morning and mrs' the after
noon would he given unsightly
basket. Helen had no,; harder to
40 than sit in u cook office on the
fifteenth floor of a skyscraper by the
lake and click Il typewriter.
Mamma" called Stella from the
stairway, II can't find my stocking"
Stella was five and spoiled.
fess found the stocking under the
ped and pulled it on the small, chuh.
BY leg. You're O big for me to
hlNn IN HpnCe MAS, ra&-...-S a.
said. GROSSLY. The baby whimpercd 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 Walter, aged
six and eight. already were clamoring
Tor oatmeal and bacon. Their mother
served them hurriedly. With 4 fret
ful baby she would have hard work
getting. the wash out in time to fin
lsh making stella's new dress. which
u wanted all complete by Sunday.
children's day at church. She hur-
RED the boys off to school. They did
not ltnger. Her tone was too cross.
Then she got the clothes into the
tubs. Stella was playing on the floor
beside her. The baby. crying, lay in
Il big armchair. Usually she had a
woman take care of the washing, but
she had been unable to find n for
WV "SSnS anu TAU dl last OCeN forced
to do it herself. While she rubbed
and alternately soothcd the baby and
scolded Stella, who could get into mis-.
chief faster than her mother could
drop clothes into the boiler, she never
forgot that tantalizing vision of Helen
as she went to Work. cool. Well dress
cd and happy. 1t was not the first day.
nor the first year that Helen had
made Bess disconnected. 1t seemed to
her now. perspiring over the hot suds.
that only tina first year had been real
lly 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 comc, and
she had been so busy that she had for
gotten to think of such trivialities as
looks. Bert's salary had not increas.
cd SO rapidly as their expenses. Then
Stella had come. Life was merely
busy before. With har advent it be-
came Il rush-a never ending success
sion of tasks. tasks. tasks. And then
the baby arrived, and. although the
other children were no crosser than
ordinary youngsters. this last wa al
ways fractions, always whimpering.
The clothes were washed. but not
hung out when the boys came tearing
home for lunch.