Evening star., 1914-02-13
THE EVENING STORY.
Getting Ready for Company.
Copyright, 1914. by W. Werner.)

| 'Oh. DEAR sighed Mrs. Plum. Ell
| never get through, never. never. never
ANY other time I'd have some hope. bu
| everything has gone wrong this time
The washing having to be put off made
| the ironing late. 1t started the whole
week wrong. And the baby has beel
fretful night and day. I don't seem t.
get on like should. And do my best
| Mr.. Plum smiled at his discouraged
| wife. Her eyes were very near to tears
| but she mustered up a return smile.
| II know she said, 81 oughtn't t.
| bother you with it You have your oWr
| troubles all day. I've often thought thai
Bear ye one another's burdens should
have been Bear your own
Tut tut!' smiled Mr.. Plum. reprov.
| ingly. 'let the verse stand as it is The
Bibles a wise old book. A shared burder
of any you have. But what gets me /,
| why all this fuss? Mother isn't strang
| er. She'll understand that, when the
baby has been under the weather. there
she knows by experience what 1t is t
all right as they are"
"They look awful" disagreed his wife
cheered In spite Of herself. But I've one
on 'rs Better. @ wouldn't Would 1 have v your your motse,
see it like this for the world
"well. we'll" said Mr. Plum. pattins
her hand and returning to his newspaper
don't fuss too much. Mother won,
| notice."
| Mrs. Plum sighed to herself THE idea
Of his mother not noticing" she thoueht
| She could see a Specli of dirt across the
room. And she'd blame me fer it. She
has spoken so often about how neat his
| first wife was. She'll think she was a
| better manager than I am-and maybe
she was
She worked on her sewing till bedtime
and then lay for an hour or SO Planning
| the work for the next day. AT last she
| sank into an uneasy doze. only to be
| awakened by the teething baby. OF
| and on. all night. she hushed his fretful
| cries. When she woke it was with the
guilty start of one who knows she has
OVERSIGHT. 1t was past o'clock, and she
had meant to be at work at q.
Poor Lester didn't like to wake me. .
she thought, but, oh. I wish he had"
The kitchen bore evidence of mans
| hasty preparation of a meal Things
were out of place: half burned pancakes
| were In the frying pan; half-cooked mush
stood on the cold stove.
She set to work with will. but had
| not done much when Millie trotted down
| In her little white nighteown.
II It'll awake" she announced, with her
engaging lisp. "Will you dwess me. muv-
| ver?'
Mrs. Plum. in all her haste. stopped to
hug the child to her. The name of
mother" from her husbands child was
| very sweet to her. She had tried to be
a mother. not stepmother. to his boy
and girl. And she was glad to think
that she had succeeded. Millie loved
| her. Tom loved her And she returned 1t
| in full measure. Her own baby boy was
scarcely more dear to her than these chill
dren Of woman she had never seen.
Now, Millie," she said. when she had
hastily bathed and dressed her. II want
you to be good today. very. very good.
For tomorrow something nice is going to
| happen
And Millie promised. Miles long suit
| was being good" Brother Tom got into
| mischief and out again with unfailing
regularity. but Miles skirts We're clear.
Toms clothes were promptly soiled and