The Western outlook. [volume] (San Francisco, Cal.) 1894-1928, 1914-12-12
TIME FOR CALMNESS
Things That Mother and Father
Had to Worry About.
BY LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY.

BY LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY.
Copyright, 1914 by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
When the glorious days Of autumn
came Mrs. John Treadwell said to
her daughter Ida: Your father can
get away from his business next
week"
I'm glad of it."
"And last night he suggested that
he and / take an auto trip Of several
days"
Good"
you wouldn't want to visit some
girl friend of yours for four or nVe
| days would your"
so that the house might be closed
while you are gomez"
yes"
'You are a poor hand to plan,
mother Where would the cook go?
What would become of my rabbits?
We have chickens to be cared for. II
the house is left alone some one Will
rob it."
Eyes," sighed the mother.
Whereas" continued Miss Ida, "if
Mollie Perkins comes down to keep
me company nothing whatever will
happen, and things will go along just
lovely"
Il wonder If they would?" reflected
the mother.
"Why, how could they help It? In
my minds eye | see the daily pro-
gram: Arise at 1880. Breakfast at
eight o'clock Feed the chickens.
Feed the rabbits. Walk in the dewy
grass. Climb an apple tree. Throw
stones at the crows. Lunch and then
long walk And then, and so forth
and SO forth, until time to lock up the
house at night, and get the cook in
and have her tell murder and ghost
stories for an hour, and then all go
to bed and SILVER"
Eyes, that will be the way of it,
and your father and can't 60"
you and father can dust right
along, and you need not worry one
little bit about the house. If you
come back and find US dead you may
be sure that we died game"
Miss Mollie Perkins was telephoned
to and she uttered shrek Of delight
and within two hours was on her way
down. In due time the autoists got
away, but not until they had wasted
half an hour in cautioning the daugh-
ter, the visitor and the cook.
If anything happened each one was
to be calm-very calm Even IL it
became necessary to shoot a tin ped
dler with the ancient and unloaded
revolver, reposing on the top shelf in
a closet, it must be done calmly and
the hurrah left out.
Nothing happened the first day.
Nothing but that the kitchen chin
ney burned out, one of the rabbits
choked to death on a hunk of sweet
apple, and young farmer, who called
to sell a crock Of butter, winked at
the visitor and was heard to mutter:
Gosh all hemlock, but she must
have tumbled out OF bed up in heaven
this mornin' and fell clear down
here!"
The cook told three murder stories
that evening, but somehow after mid
night all three women got to sleep
and nothing happened to disturb their
slumbers.
Nothing happened on the second
day. Nothing but that the old rooster
got the feeling that his work on earth
was done and laid him down and
sighed and breathed his last. Shortly
after lunch the cook struck for higher
wages, but after an hours argument
she lowered her flag and started in to
make some apple tarts A stray pig
got into the garden, but 1t wasn't
over an hour before he was made to
see the error of his ways.
At night the cook, whose conscience
troubled her for striking, related no
less than five true ghost stories, each
one of which was received with the
proper number of shivers, but no
white-robed figure wandered I'D and
down the halls, and no murderer tried
to gain access to the house by the
pantry window
1t was the next day that it hap
pened. There were plenty Of apples
on the ground and in the kitchen, but
there were some on the tree that
looked great deal better. Besides,
there was the fun Of climbing the
tree. 1t would not be true to say that
Miss Mollie Perkins Skinned up that
tree like squirrel. She didn't do 1t
even like a boy No girl can. This
one drew herself slowly up after re-
peated efforts, and at last reached a
limb about twelve feet from the
ground. She was being congratulated
on her athletics, when she lost her
hold and uttered yell and struck the
ground
AS the victim struck on her head,
and as she was unconscious when
yelled at, 1t was the logical conclusion
that she was either dead of broken
neck or badly injured. In either case
the doctor must be summoned.
Ring! Ring! Ring No answer
from central. The wire had got tired
Of being live wire and had gone
dead.
The cook must go three miles after
the doctor. But how could she with
that rheumatic knee?
Miss Ida ran down to the gate.
There wasn't vehicle OF any sort
in sight. She must go for the doctor
herself. and after she had instructed
the cook to throw an occasional pail
Of water over the girl under the tree,
she set off. Her mother had eau