The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-08-23

Mrs. Grifith read the story thru,
then laid the magazine down and
was pensiye II ntJed her life. Why
that story might have beer written
from her life, Like the woman in
II. she was old she had spent her
life making her children comforta-
bile. and now they had grown, they
had their own interests. and she
was lef, lonely Bella. with her four
children, lived in the same town,
but two miles away Ted lived At
home, but he was employed IN n
Wholesale house days and studied
law three nights week. and the
other three he had engagements.
Bert. with mis- wife and two babies,
lived In town hundred niles
away. She saw them only about
elk times year Jessie was in Now
York studying music. And in a few
years that career would take her
farther away And her husband
had his business during the day
and NJ night his pinochle and no
litical clubs She had this l0-rooni
house that once had seemed hardly
large enough. But now
Mrs Wiley. whose children had
grown UP with hers. interrupted her
brooding. She lived in the same
block and often ran in with a new
lace stitch or geranium slip. What's
the mattcrf" she asked briskly Il
brought over some ot those dahlia
Lulbs-they're the cactus variety.
Mrs Grlflth thanked her absently.
and then told hor.
Mrs Wiley replied, Yea. know.
felt the same way--dcscrted But
Just wouldn't feel that way. just
quit. And ! manage 10 keep busy
and guess can keep tclerably con
tented during the years that are
left 10 me"
II don't know 4; can" sighed
Mrs. Griffith. II just got 20 think
ing for the first time how empty
my life Is" She fingered the maya
zine absently.
Mrs Wiley stayed an hour Then
she jumped up. Good gracious, /
must run. Jim wants supper early
tonight"
Mrs Grifith went out 70 the gar.
den 10 dig up her own more ordi-
nary dahlla bulbs by the time she
was thru Hiloa had dinner ready
and Ted and his father were At the
table. They smiled az her as she
entered
She vas pleasantly surprised al
ter dinner Neither Ted nor his
father left the house. but played
cards, played the photograph. told
stories, and then Ted popped corn.
II WAS very pleasant and. tho she
had planned TO make out list OF
cdibles needed for the sociable
which the church had planned IN"
coming week she willingly let II go
The next day Bella and her cnil-
dren came over And again she was
surprised. Usually Bella deposited
the four, YEARLY asked her mother
10 give them whichever meal was
next, dinner or luncheon. wcarily
washed their faces. and then declar'
ed that she wanted 10 get them
home and 10 bed But this time she
stopped three days. explaInins that
likely Jerrold would be gladof their
absence. The children bothered him
and he had an important case In
court that week Her mother was
glad 10 have her there. but ~ wor-
ried her She wondered II lerrold
and Bella had quarreled II wasn't
like Pellt TO stay away from her
home so long And the children
seemed unusually noisy and rcS'
less, az tho something hung over
them But hnallv Bella won't homo
The next week Bert and his wife
and babies arrived for two weeks
stay Mrs Grifhth hardly believed
that two children could grow 80 fact
Tho she always had heretofore re
Trained from criticising Bert's wife,
she really thought that Nell might
make them mind better. They ruin.