South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-06
WHAT DICkN TOLD MADGE
THAT SUNDAY MORNING


THAT SUNDAY MORNING.
! What are you going to do.
Madge? Why the uniform p"
Dicky looked around lazily up from
| the Sunday newspapers. which were
strewn around the couch i'm the Iiv-
\ ing room. where he lay stretched ar
I ease. Il was Sunday morning
Dicky's lazy time" OF the week.
] The Sunday morning before this
/ / had sat near him in the big chair
also reading. and We had promised
ourselves that this would be our
weekly custom, neither of as having
much inclination for church
But this morning. with the expec
tatiOn Of guests in the evening. :
knew that there was work waiting
+ for me, SO as soon as Dicky was
thoroughly absorbed in his paper.
had slipped into my room and put
on one OF my kitchen aprons 4
sense of unfamiliarity came TO me
as ] buttoned it, for / had not worn
7 IL since Katie had taken the helm
, Of the kitchen. ] had hoped that
4 Dicky would not notice my absence.
B but he saw and called 10 me as
3 passed through the living room on
my way 90 the kitchen.
II must prepare those sailed al
monds for tonight. Dicky." re-
piled
Bother the sailed almonds. I
Z told YOU 10 get those that were all
/ ready. Can't Katie do them p
4 Katie has all she can do" l ex-
planned patiently she had the din
ner 10 prepare. and then this after
noon she will polish up the furni-
ture a bit"
Dicky gave groan of pretended
dismay.
Don't tell me. Madge. that you're
one of the women who start TO
cleaning house every time they ex-
1 pect guests" he began. 81 used 30
; vow that never, never would 7 mar
ny one of that stripe II takes Ell
the comfort of having anybody come
to the house TO have everything so
stiff"
I wanted TO remind Dicky Of his
diatribe of = few days before. when
he had hu-> me UNNECESSARILY bv
+ his criticism Of the disordered liv-
I ing room. But I had learned that
I Inconsistency Of speech was one Of
7 Dickys chief characteristics The
/ opinion ne expressed one day he was
/ likely to contradict the next. so I
skirted the topic carefully.
We're not going TO clean house.
Dicky-nOthing that will disturb
+ you "A bit. But I must prepare the
almonds myself. 1t is a tedious JOB,
and I want the time after dinner
/ free for the sandwiches and the
table You'll run out this morning
and get me a few flowers. won't
/ YOU ."
Sure" agreed Dicky, "but there's
no hurry. is there?"
None at ALL" I assured him.
"All right then. I'll 90 after a
while" He resumed his reading
and | went TO the kitchen.
Please get me the nut-cracker
and the almonds YOU brought home
last night" ] told Katie. Il Will
crack them here on the end of the
kitchen table. Re sure that you
have plenty Of boiling water in the
tea kettle by the time finish
them"
"All right. Missis Graham / feeX."
Katie was hustling around the l-itch-
en-. getting the breakfast dishes out
1 of the way with more than even her
usual rapidly Of movement I sat
down at the table and began crack
ing the nuts II was "A slow JOB,
and I had finished only about a
fourth of them when Dicky appear
ed at the door.
"T've come TO help" he an
nounced. but ! saw Katie's look II
dismay at the tiny kitchen, where
she must get dinner.
eco back to your reading" 7 com
manded gayly. 81 don't need yol.
Besides. there isn't room for three
OF us here. Katie hasn't room 20
turn around as it is"
That's easily remedied.' Dicky
caught up the dish Of nutmeats. thu
bag Of uncracked nuts and the pa
per strewn with shells where / was
working and carried them into the
living room. ] trailing along behind
him uttering futile protests. As ne
reached the table the paper slipped
from his grasp and the shells flew
i'm every direction.
"Dicky'" J gasped. why on
earth did YOU bring all this stuff in
here? Katie cleaned this room
thoroughly Yesterday. and with the
exception Of little Strengthening
and polishing of some Of the furr'-
ture il was all ready for tonight
Now il will have to be swept again.
and that viii mean the busting ana
polishing done all over again
''You don't suppose I meant 10