The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-10-29
THE EVENING STORY |.
NEIGHBoRs.
Copyright. 1918. by ". werner,,

tCopNrlGht, 1913, by w. Werner.)
Letha frowned after her husband as
he hurried out tho front door Of the
smalt cottage II across the common
to the distant elevated. intercourse
at breakfast and for two days before
a been on the verge of disputatous.
something new in their five years OF
married life. But another man had
been appointed ovcr Vernon's head to
a position that he had counted on.
Letha did not take disappointment
good ~naturedly. She had looked
eagerly forward to freedom from the
skimping that had been necessary
since they moved from a downtown
cramped flat to Il cottage Oh the
monthly payment plan.
She had inferred that Vernon--pos-
siblN--wasn't so-so-
Efficient" Vernon interrupted jim
a hurt tone. Well" with a sigh.
maybe I'm not" Then he finished
ous-in strained silence.
Lstha had been talking to relieve
~overcharged feelings. When she said
more than she intended her irritation
bubbled up. Then. why aren't you?''
she asked. tartly.
Vernon flushed. After the dishes
were cleared away he made all effort
to talk on other subjects. "Reen over
to see that little Mrs. Bronson two
houses DOWN." he asked. IT see her
every pght when l come home. She's
waiting by the gate for her husband,
and she looks sort of lonesome"
No" said Le1ha. coldly. II
haven't" Nernon's choice of suhjec:
was not happy. And" more coldly.
Il don't think that I shall. None OF
us care for hcr: l really think tina,
she is the most inefficient house,
keeper that I c saw. What she
doesn't burn she wastes. Yesterday
she threw out a kettle of new potatoes
and you know what price new po-
tatoes are at this time of year. And
the day before she left her breakfast
dishes so till her husband came home
that night. and he did them. Mrs.
Wilkins. who lives next door. saw
him. And I wish you'd see the way
she irons Mrs. Jones said that she
wore a dilnity dress to the grocery
store Wednesday morning that looked
as though she had v touched an
iron on it. And she bought three crates
of Strawberries the other lay-to can,
I suppose-and they're still sitting in
her pantry now. Spoiled. Mrs. Will
kins's pantry windows are opposite.
and she can see right in. Shiftless.
tnat S all she Is. All yesterday AFTER.
noon she sat on the front porch read
ing a magazine and those berries
wasting"
I.etha did not mean her accent IN
shiftless to be personal. But Vernon
had flushed and, without commenting
on Mrs. Brenson's loneliness again.
had begun to read his own magazine.
I-etha saw h flush and resented it.
He had no business to be so touchy..
She few back to the subject they had
dropped. Why don't you march
straight up TO Colton's private Office
and demand ~promotion?' he asked
hotly. Are you afraid Of him."
You don't know Cotton" said Yer
non. HE isn't the kind Of man that
you can bluster at. He'd simply say
get out. And l can't risk losing my
position-at least, not while We've got
to keep up the payments on this cot
tage. And just now positions are
scarce. Cotton turned away twenty
yesterday" Letha had shrugged her
shoulders. Vernon's face had red
dened again. a shrug can be go very
expressive.
The next morning Letha was per-
suaded by a fruit peddler with a per-
suasive tongue into taking five crates
Of strawberries. After she bought
them she, of course had to can them.
1t was with relief and dissemination
that she put them in IA n on the
stove. Relief because the labor would
work off hcr irritation: Discrimination