Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-15
THE EVENING STORY.
Jar of Grapes.
Copyright. 1918. by ". Werner,

Myra Allen hung the receiver up with
a frown. She would have liked TO bang
ii. but thirty-five years OF repression for
bade such impetuosity. Her comfortable.
comedy face clouded with disappointment.
Any other morning she would have been
glad to hear the message-that is, not
exactly glad. 1t is an old story. this be-
ing summoned at an instant's notice to
help her neices prepare a luncheon or a
dinner. She was fond of them and fond
of their indolent. overdressed mother. and
she was proud of her own ability to stir
up a salad that would melt in your mouth
and whip up a dessert that tasted as
beautifully as ii looked. But sometimes
she wished that she was not so accom-
plished along culinary lines.
You've simply got to come Cora,
the oldest. had declared Prof. Rowley
OF the university is coming. Maud met
him coming home on the boat from Italy,
and no one can fix table like you.
I'm busy" Myra had faltered.
Oh. Well. gracionsly. you needn't
stay for dinner. Just fix the salad and
peach custard and set the table and then
Wen let you run home. The table will
be full, anyway"
Myra set her lips close together. She was
used to Cora and Maud. But that was
a little too inconsiderate. She had other
plans for the afternoon and evening
Anne Loomis. who had gone to school
with Myra, also had got home from Eu-
rope and had sent word that Myra should
come over Immediately and listen to a
minute account of the trip. 1t would be
the last day that they could be sure of
Tor a long time, since school opened the
next Monday. Anne was principal OF one
building.
If there was one thing that Myra en-
Joyed more than another il was listening
TO Anne's descriptions and watching the
gray pompadoured face crinkle laugh
ingly over funny incidents. Anne had
humor of trip and bubbling 1t out in
gay stream. Myra small income kept
her in middling comfort, but ii would not
stretch over jaunts away from home, and.
as she complained a bit dolefully SOME
times to Anne-never to any one else
she was too stupid to work. She had al
ways longed for Europe. The next best
thing would be listening to Anne de-
scribe it.
But Cora was insistent ..Oh. Aunt
Myra, l think you're mean. You can see
Anne any Saturday. And. say. bring a
Jar of the grapes that you put up last
week. l want the juice to cover some
gelatin. | don't like flavors you buy"
Myra had reluctantly promised to break
her engagement with Anne and come.
She finished the ironing on which she
was engaged, got hasty lunch. wrapped
up the two-quart glass jar OF stewed
Si1pSS aiA Sldil cu, dllcI StluinS q
neighbours. boy to Anne with plaintive
note explaining. Anne had no telephone
But in the street car she was abstract
ed. 1t came to her in a flash that Cora
and Maud were always commanding her
services and always getting them without
a thought of her convenience. 1t had
been that way since they were babies,
and her older brother had proudly sum-
moned her, a girl of fifteen, to admire
them. She had looked out for them, and
they had come to depend on her. but sell
dom to make any return for the favors.
Il don't know that l envy the men