El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-10-18

H
n might be out Of the pages OF
Little Woman" modernized and with
a world war as a background.
And. like Louisa Alcott's delightful
story. there are four sisters and a
mother; four Of them are doing war
work and my correspondent keeps
house for the rest.
She goes TO market, gets two meals,
darns. mends and generally acts as
lady's maid for the others. A laun-
dress comes in once a week to wash
and iron. and there is a half days
sweeping and heavy cleaning done by
someone else. but apart from this
everything else about the little home
IS done by the girl who has written
the fiat well for the war workers she
is doing her bit the same as II she
occupied desk in a government Of
flee.
Martha Gets Into Trouble.
My correspondent. whom I am going
to call Martha. because she looks after
the house, has an allowance from her
war working family. It consists Of
her room. board and 81 a week apiece
from each member Of the household
This gives her about S65 a month as
her very own, and is a handsome al
lowance for any girl
It was this embarrassment of riches
that got Martha into trouble during
the first months OF her experience as
housekeeper. She spent over half
months salary on q hat that 'dwarfed
and stabbed" everything else in her
wardrobe The s35 hat made her good,
honest blue serge seem cheap looking
And she continues. The high cham
payne colored boots completed my
tragedy. I bought them expecting
to step into happiness and found they
were a little old fashioned, a little
passe, that it was not quite the thing
high"
Her family. it appears from her ac-
count Of them, must have been very
sensible people. They did not laugh
or make fun OF Martha for her foolish
extravaganza; they let her have her
own head and depended on her native
common sense to work out her own
salvation They even borrowed the
gorgeous hat occasionally when they
we're going out anywhere special. so
that Martha would not bSwail her
white elephant quite so blaintively.
Now Called s.The Hat
'No one calls it my hat any longer"
Martha continues. Every one now
calls It the hat and says I'll take
it If you haven't promised to lend 1t 10
someone else It looks like a cross
between the plumed hat OF a medieval
knight and a melodrama."
When Martha, who is the youngest.
was not buying swaggeringly pictur-
esque hats and champagne colored
boots, Il seems she was investing in
ice cream sOdas, sundaes and candy.
Life at this period was spelled in the
terms OF an orgy, and yet the family
patiently waited for her reform.
The war workers were all sailing
down thrift stamps, which they turned
into war savings certificates. and
later into Liberty bonds: only Martha
blew hers in in riotous living. Then
she made the awful discovery that she
was getting fat-12 pounds OF it-and
that her complexion was getting
spotty. And this complexion. it
seemed. had always been a thing Of
rose leaves and lilies. a complexion
to inspire poet
So the young prodigal took herself
in hand Why did she have to in
dulge in an ice cream soda every
time she went downtown2 The flesh
she lost in walking she more than re-
gained INDUCING herself in that
adipose producing delicacy. Besides,
and again Martha's conscience smote
her. she was not laying by a single
wa stamp,
Instead. she had a collection OF
flimsy handkerchiefs. empty candy
boxes, spotted wells and a general
accU- iulation Of fluffy uselessness.
Invests In Certificate.
Ons Saturday, which was domestic
payday. Martha bought her first war
saving certificate. and It seemed to
WORK miracle from the first moment
Of possession. Instead of the pang