The Delta independent., 1913-04-04
INDIGNATION MEETING
BY JAMES HARDING,

well, wouldn't that make you
tired!" called Mrs. Brill as she came
out on her back porch and slammed
the door sharply behind her
Her neighbor. Mrs. Graves. looked
up in surprise, for Mrs. Brill was of
a most unruffled demeanor ordinarily.
Sitting back on her heels in the
grass. she abandoned her pursuit OF
dandelions long enough to inquire
alphabetically. What would?"
Mrs. Brill's prettily frilled dust cap
fairly stood on end with indignation
I've been trying to get Raymond's
school by telephone for at least half
an hour You know my sister and her
little boy are coming up for the day,
and. of course, Raymond wants to
stay at home. Well, he's in the en-
tertainment next week and l wanted
to tell his teacher he'll be absent to-
day and I wanted to find out about
his costume. But 90 you suppose ]
could get that school? No, indeed,
And tell you, Mrs. Graves, the phone
service we have here now is some
thing awful. There is a phone at the
school, for l saw it one day. There is
no number in the book and all !
could get out OF those girls was We
have no record l tell you our i'm
proyement association ought to get
after the phone service instead of
putting up any more fancy street
lamps"
Now, Mrs. Brill" expostulated the
woman two doors away, who had sus-
pended operations on her clothesline
to listen and who stood dropping
gracefully over the fence and rafting
the clothespins in her apron pocket.
1T isn't the fault of the telephone at
all; it's the schools, or the school
board. or something. Listen to what
happened to me the other day.
II wanted to go down town early
and get at the sales before the bar.
gains were all picked over.'' related
the woman two doors away. 81 hur.
ried so that | forgot to take the pigs
feet off the stove that were cooking
for my husbands supper. He likes
them once in a while and they have to
be fixed just so in order to suit him.
These were awfully nice ones and |
wanted to cook them as long as posi-
BILE. On the car remembered that ]
hadn't removed them, but the gas was
turned low. so they couldn't burn very
soon. Well. hurried to the nearest
phone to call up Bobbe at his school
and tell him to run over at recess time
and turn out the gas.
But do you suppose l got any sat.
isfaction? Well. didn't. oh. was
mad. Here ! had planned on those
sales for month, you know, to get |
some furniture and hangings cheap
for the porch. l didn't half look at
what they had. just bought some
things in hurry and then rushed
home. ! was hardly in time either, for
those pigs feet were scorched.
Then my husband got mad. You
know. John is awfully particular about
what he eats. And had to SEM the
furniture back because it wasn't at all
what wanted"
She paused a moment for breath |
and to enjoy the sympathetic com
ments of her neighbor. Then. with a
coquettish toss of her head she con-
tinued: ''Well, l just told John how 1t
all was. You see, my husband knows
the superintendent of this district
real we'll They go down together on
the 7:45 train real often. So he'll just
fix it up at headquarters. The idea
of not being able to phone to ones
own child in city of this size."
Mrs. Brill nodded emphatically at
Mrs Graves, who had gone back to
hunting dandelions. Though osten-
sibly talking to the woman two doors
away, she directed her next remarks
straight to Mrs. Graves, whom she
considered more or less party to the
misdemeanors of the city school, be-
cause Mrs. Graves had once taught in
them.
That's just It," declared Mrs. Brill.
Now, In Splashville. where my sister
teaches, you can phone to anyone in
any school at any time about any
thing. That's how 1t should be. Sup
pose somebody should die suddenly. or
break an arm or something. You
couldn't get word to the child in any
way here"
Mrs. Graves answered the accusa-
ton as she picked up the mutilated
dandelions preparatory to going into
the house. Surely, every kind Of mes
sage should be given and to every
one of the thousands Of youngsters in
the schools just because some one
might die some time. 1t would take
several clerks Just for that and the
classes would be continually dis
turbed, but what OF that?"
WELL" pouted Mrs. Brill. what do
we pay taxes for?'
"Thats right" insisted the neigh
for two doors away. Anyway. my
husbands going to see about it."-Chi-
cago Daily News.