The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-01-17
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Indolent Mrs. Lester.
BY OSBORN JONES.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
NeWgnaneF Svndtcato

& Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndlcate.)
- VERY one agreed that pretty Mrs.
~ Testers besetting sin was indo.
- lence.
"of course, any woman could have
pretty hands and well.manicured nails
II she didn't ever have to do any.
thing" said Mrs. Lands. the boarding
house keeper 10 the old maid school
teacher. who replied promptly:
Yes, and any woman could seem
light-hearted II she didn't have a care
or trouble in the world"
"of course, she's always pleasant
like, too" put in Maftha, the cook
for the school teacher had descended
TO the kitchen to chat with Mrs. Ian.
dis-"she doesn't ever make fuss
about things-but then. who would?
And it's always those helpless women
that have husbands to wait hand and
foot on them"
Exactly" snapped the school teach
or.
.'Precisely!" echoed Mrs. Lands.
as matter OF fact. Mrs. Lester was
lndolent. She loved the soft pillows
Of her bed because she had always
been accustomed to twelve hours OF
repose out Of the tYenty.four. But
she wasn't even as happy as the
brawny armed Mrs. Lands or the cor.
pulent cook or the teacher, with her
absorbing responsibilities in the
school room.
II any one had asked Mrs. Lester
why she boarded instead OF keeping
house she would have said It was be-
cause her husband chose to live that
way. They had always done It in the
three years Of their married life The
boarding house was convenient to the
big factory where her husband worked
and houses were not plentiful. But
sometimes single tear fingered in
those soft brown eyes OF hers and
there was neeting note of sadness in
her voice-that Mrs. Lands and Mar.
tina and the school teacher never
caught. A more careful observer
might have noticed that this was the
case on days when Mr.. Lester had been
particularly quiet at breakfast, when
he had looked Just trifle annoyed as
be watched his pretty wife beside him
ut meals, or in the boarding house sit.
ting room afterward.
Then came the time when Mrs Ian.
dis son had pneumonia at college. 1t
didn't prove to be hard case but it
was sufficiently alarming to make it
necessary for Mrs. Lands to pack her
wicker suit case and betake her portly
person to the college town. She
stopped long enough after receiving
the telegram telling of her sons i'll.
ness to give the cook directions for
ordering and to commit the care of the
thirty boarders to her keeping. Then
she went to Mrs. Testers room and
told her, Just because she knew she
would feel treasured by her words of
sympathy and encouragement.
Il know can't do much" said Mrs.
Lester, but 1t makes n lot of work for
poor Martha. Let me do the ordering
while you are gone. No one need know.
/, Please give me the lists and every
morning / can go to market for you.
oh, you don't know how often have
gone for the fun of it, and sometimes
have wished that had market has.
ket of my own on my arm and that
were ordering things for myself"
Mrs. Lands consented. for, as she
said: Cooking for thirty is enough Of
Rwiob in itself, and having to do the
ordering besides would be too much