River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-07-31

show you how to do it. Will you do
just as | tell you?'
Eyes, | WILL shifted in a comfort
ed voice. What woman wouldn't be
comforted by being called a luscious
peach" | looked out between my fin
gers to see what more he was going
to say, but he had turned to shelf
and taken down two books.
Now" he said in his most business
like voice. as cool as a bucket of wa
ter fresh from the spring, 'ft is no
trouble at all to take off your surplus
avoirdupois at the rate of two and a
half pounds week If you follow these
directions. As l take it. you are about
twenty-five pounds over your normal
weight. It will take over two months
to reduce you, and we will allow an
extra month for further identifying,
so that when Mr. Bennett arrives he
will find the lady Of his alteration in
proper trim to be adored. Yes, just
be still until copy these directions in
this little red leather blank book for
you. and every day l want you to keep
an exact record of the conditions of
which ! make note No, don't talk
while ! make out these diet lists!
wish you would go across the hall and
see if you don't think we ought to get
Billy a thinner set Of night drawers
1t seems to me he must be too warm
In the ones he is wearing"
When he speaks to me in that tone
ofx I ok n nd I
Billy badly at that very moment |
took him out of his little cot by DR..
Johns big bed and sat down with him
in my arms over by the window
through which the early moon came
streaming. Billy is so little, little not
to have a mother to rock him all the
times he needs 1t, that | take every
opportunity to give it to him | find
when he's unconscious and can't help
himself She died before she ever
even saw him, and I've always tried to
do what could to make 1t up to him.
Poor Mr.. Carter said when Billy cut
his teeth that a neighbours baby can be
worse than twins Of your own. He
didn't like children, and the baby's
crying disturbed him, so many night
| walked Billy out in the garden until
daylight, while Mr.. Carter and DR..
John both slept Always his little,
warm, witty body has comforted me
for the emptiness of not having baby
Of my own. And he's very congenfal.
too, for he's slim and fiowery, pink and
dimply, and as mannish as his father.
in funny little flashes.
"Git stick to punch it, Molly" he
was murmuring in his sleep. Then
heard the doctor call me and / had to
kiss him, put him back in his bed and
go across the hall.
DR.. John was standing by the table
with this horrid small book in his hand
and his mouth was set in a straight
line and his eyes were deep back I'M
der their brows. l hate him that way,
too, and / would like to get up so close
to him that he couldn't hit me or have
a door locked between US. It's strange
how the thought of taking beating
from a man can make woman's heart
jump. Mine jumped SO it was hard to
look as meek as | felt best under the
circumstances, but looked it out from
under my lashes cautiously.
'There you are. Mrs. Molly" he said
briskly as he handed me this book.
"Get weighed and measured and sized
up generally in the morning and follow
all the directions: also make every rec
ord | have noted so that | can have
the proper data to help you as you go
along-or rather down. And if you will
be faithful about it to me, or, rather
AL. | think we can be sure Of buttOning
that blue muslin dress without even
the aid of the buttonhook.' His voice
had the IF you can" note In it that
always sets me off.
Had we better get the kiddie some
thinner night rigging?' he FASTENED to
ask as / was just about to explode.
He knows the signs.
THANK you, Dr. Moore! | hate the
very ground you walk on, and I'll at
tend to those night clothes myself to-
morrow" l answered, and ] sailed out
of that office and down the path to-
ward my own house beyond his hedge.
But I carried this book tight in my
hand, and I made up my mind that
would do it all if it killed me. would
show him could be faithful-to whom
| would decide later on. But | hadn't
read far into this book when | COM
mitted myself to myself like that!
l don't know just how long | sat on
the front steps all by myself bathed In
a perfect flood of moonlight and lonei-
ness. 1t was not a bit of comfort to
hear Aunt Adeline snoring away in her
room down the dark hall. 1t takes the
greatest congeniality to make per-
sons snoring pleasure to anybody. and
Aunt Adeline and are not that way.
When poor Mr. Carter died the next
day she said: Nov, Mary, you are en-
tirely too young to live all your long
years of widowhood alone. and as am
in the same condition. | will rent my
cottage and move right up the street
into your house to protect and console
you" And she did-the moving and
the protecting.
Mr.. Henderson has been dead forty
two years. He only lived three months
after he married Aunt Adeline and her
Grape veil is over yard long yet Men
ire the dust under her feet, but she