Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1917-11-08


they happened to live in the same
large city
week after Ton and Nell had ha6
their breakfast-table scrap-several
had followed since then. and Nell was
losing sleep and Tom was losins
weight-the mothers CHANGED TO meet
at the counter OF department store In
the shopping section OF their town
some hundred miles from the place
where Tom and Nell made their home
At first they bowed and smiled AZ
women whose children have married
usually do-and with more effort AT
saceharine politeness than actual cor
diality.
Mrs. Bradford was buying lavender
ribbon and when she saw Mrs. Cole
she, too, was buying lavender ribbon
III had come TO both the women that
ribbon of that shade would better suit
their roles in life than the pink ano
yellow and green ribbons that they
naturally would have chosen as orna.
mentation to their white frocks and
negligees.
Perhaps II was this that made Mrs
Bradford G@sume nm attitude toward
Mrs. Cole that was so totally different
from the attitude usually adopted by
women whose children have married
each other. At any rate Mrs. Bradford
did approach Mrs. Cole with an air OF
camaraderie and two hours later Mrs
Cole md MrS pro1ForJ ho+h tooi,t,o
particularly debonaire, were slipping
tea together-not in the inglenook OF
either ones fireslde but in, very fash.
ionable and not at all sedate hotel
where the orchestra alternately muir
INJURED the latest waltz or whanged
out the most extreme of one-steps.
They talked long and understanding
ly, and when they came to leave at the
portal of the hotel Mrs. Cole held out
her capable, plump hand of the house.
wife to Mrs. Bradford's, that was slen.
der and blemishless.
well, good-by, Genevieve," she
said, albeit with a little tug at that
last, unaccustomed word.
$50 long, Georgiana," replied Mrs.
Bradford, with firm pressure of the
hand. 1.-THE Riddles will know all in
the morning"
The next morning the klddies-Tom
and Nell Bradford--received letters
from their mothers and each one wait
ed for privacy to read the letter.
This was the one from Mrs. Cole
that Nell took from the folds of her
bodice and read as soon as Tom had
gone officeward.
'Dear Nell:
"What dears you and Tom were to
invite me for Thanksgiving, and, If
hadn't made other plans, should most
surely have come. But | have some
precious, important business on foot
and / must attend to 1t. Mrs. Bradford
and l have seen a good deal of each
other lately, and we have a little enter.
prise on foot that will take up most of
our time, so we have decided to run
down to one of the resorts for Thanks
giving day and make the last arrange
ments. I've always wanted to get out
and do something for myself, and now
that you children are all settled In life
Pm having the chance. Mrs. Bradford
is writing to tell you the details of the
enterprise and we shall soon have our
prospectuSes ready to send you more
detailed account Of our undertaking.
I am feeling splendidly. Don't worry
about me, and take good care of your
self. / must close now, as / have
date with the tailor and another with
the hairdresser. I'm having my hair
done in the French roll which think
makes me look lot spryer than part
ed"
The letter that Tom opened In the
sanctum of his Office was longer, for
Mrs. Bradford was of more literary
bent than Mrs. Cole. 1t told of the
venture in full. She and Mrs. Cole, who
had been seeing good deal of each
other of late, had gone into partner
ship. They had decided to open girls
boarding school "Georgana Is such
splendid housewife and / know so
many people whose children we could
get that all we need Is the teachers
and, as one can always get inexperi-
enced young persons at reasonable
rates to do the teaching, there will be
no trouble on that score.
"And, by the way" remarked this
mother, you were very foolish to
apologize for not asking me to come
for Thanksgiving. AS 1t happens,
Georgiana and 1 are going off to the
seashore, so 1 couldn't have come any
way.
THANK Nell for her kind little let
ter, too. And. Tom, do for mercy
sakes, tell her not to call me Mother.
! know 1t must be hard, for am really
not her mother, and / won't be any
ones mother-in-law. Tell her to call
me GeueyIeye"