The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-12-05
{. THE EVENING STORY6
FEEDING TIL E HUNGRY.
lsls. By ". wesnery.

Old gray haired Mrs. Waling start
ed guiltily and dropped to the Kitchen
floor two thick slices of buttered
bread-generously buttcred-that she
was carrying to the hack porch. She
supposed that Alcthea. the daughter
with whom she lived. was down. the
street making a call.
Nov mother" Ale,hea upbraided
from the doorway. YOU'RE feeding
another tramp! I've told you time
and again that I won't nave II! It's
hard enough work getting victuals
Tor your own flesh and blood without
throwing them away on folks that
are too lazy and shiftless to work.
And ] wanted to make that pound of
butter do till Saturday. 1t loes
SEEM" ~reproachfully. "as though l
have to keep an y ON you every
minute, mother. just as though you
Were a child"
Her mothers facc--old and wrln-
kled-drooped di~sconsolately. Hes
an old "a Ally. Awful! old. Tie
didn't ask me for anything to eat.
Just a drink OF water. And I'm Civ
ing him two slices ouly--'
Alethca picked the iwo slices from
the floor. ''Oh. they're no good for
anybody else n5w.~ trritably: 80 You
may as we'll lc, him have 'cm. But
mind. mrther.'1 won't have. it again."
She Went to the pantry. Her mother
looked uneasily after her. And pres
entity; when she had handed the
bread to the man, sine returned in
time TO hear Aiethea's angry exclama-
ton: Mother, you We're going to
give him some meat! You've SLICED
it off. And I Just came in time. Now,
l Will not have. it,"
Rnt her mother slipped out ana up
to her own room. There She sat tn a
chair, and rocked hard. Her ace was
flushed. Of course. she oughtn't to
give away Alethea's %victuals. But 1t
was so hard to refuse. and a little
tread and meat wasn't much. Her
mind went longing'y back t. the old
days on the farm, when ~victuals We're
SO plentiful that one fed 'em TO the
hogs and no n had to be careful.
Then Alethea's father had died and
Alethea's two older brothers had
married and gone out west. The farm
had been left to the four. Alethea
had married and lived in own
Her husband. a quiet. taciturn man.
Gus store. Alethea needn't be so ter
ribly careful. her mother thought.
The farm had been sold. The boys
took their share. Alethea took hers.
and also her mothers, and deposited
them both in bank in her own name.
Her mother hardly knew how it came
about. At the time it seemed natural
enough. Alethea could look after the
interest and red tape better. Her
mother seldom was down town, and.
anyway was not facile with figures.
And. then, somehow-she couldn't re-
member how that came about-the
money seemed to belong to Alethea.
OF course, lAlethea was keeping her
and not charging a cent of board.
Alethea limited at that once or twice
limited rather pettishly tina she didn't
see why her mother hadn't divided
the money among the children. OF
course they would take care Of their
mother. And Alethea in e way was
kind. She gave her mother the south
bedroom and furnished it prettily.
She wouldn't let her work too much.
She saw that she was well dressed:
.Alethea belonged to the church and
was n of the hardest workers in the
Ladies' Aid society. Folks admired
her very much Tor her executive abili-'
ty.
Her mother listened and wished
that n of the boys would write and