Smyrna times., 1919-12-31
GRANDMA DIXON
By HELEN PATTERSON.

Carefully Grandma Dixon loosened
the moist earth around the roots of her
famous larkspur, shook the particles
of dirt from the trOwel and before
standing erect, touched the tender
shoots lovingly with her fingers.
The larkspur meant more than tall
blue flowers to her. 1t meant memo
ries of the past; memories of the
morning when a young soldier in
faded blue uniform had found her re-
jOicing over their first blossom. There
had been four weary years of war and
this, their first meeting, the larkspur
had witnessed. Since that morning
the flower had occupied a place OF
honor in her garden.
"Want any help grandma?' asked
young man looking over the fence.
"You know, I'm great on digging"
"Bless you, Dick. OF course l know
it, when look. at this garden, but
there is nothing to do this morning.
Thank you. Come here and tell me
about your work"
"Pll come over but there is nothing
to tell. l haven't any yet"
"DO you mean to say, Richard Haw-
kins, that you are not going back to
your old wOrk?" asked grandma, as
the young man vaulted the low fence
and stood beside her.
That's just it, grandma. Your hum
BILE servant has to find new job. You
know, the girls are doing our work so
well that many firms are keeping
them, and Bolton & MasOn's is one of
them."
'But the girls will certainly resign
when they know you are home again"
said grandma. 81 remember when Alb
ner came home from the Civil war, /
gave up his school l had been teaching
and we were married"
"I'H bet you did," answered Richard,
"but whose coming through the
gate?"
"Why, bless me! if it isn't Betty"
said grandma, hurrying to meet a
young girl dressed in a stylish suit and
very becoming small hat. "COme on
Dick, you know Betty. Why, you used
to play with her when she was a tiny
girl. You remember, she is the only
grandchild have"
Nothing lOath, Richard followed
Grandma Dixon down the garden path
and was reintroduced to Betty. For a
moment a pair of laughing blue eyes,
the color of the larkspur, looked into
his while they uttered few common
place remarks. and then Betty fol-
lowed grandma into the house. 1t was
not until Richard had walked the
length of the garden that he remem-
bered, with a queer feeling, that he
had seen those same blue eyes in the
girl that occupied his desk at Bolton
4 MasOn's office.
In the meantime, Betty in the house
had casually asked grandma "When
had Richards people moved back to
the old hOmestead?"
"They haven't moved back" an
swered grandma. Richard is spend
ing the week with me trying to re-
cuperate from his work of the last two
years."
'Was he in all of the warp asked
Betty.
Most of it," replied grandma, "al-
though it's little he talks about it.
Just now he's all upset over not get
ting his old work back"
But grandma" protested Betty,
perhaps the girl needs the money she
is earning as much as he does. l know
some of the girls in our office are tax
ing care of their mothers and younger
brothers and sisters"
1T may be all right for those girls
to keep our returned soldiers out of
job, but what about the girls like you,
Betty Dixon, that don't really need to
wOrk?" Indignantly asked grandma.
y-grandma-yOu know we
girls took up their work so the boys
could 90 and fight, and we have all
bought Liberty bonds and worked for
the Red Cross" stammereQ Betty as
she thought of the young man she had
casually glanced at at the cement
works yesterday.
''Yes, you all did your best while the
war was being fought and won, but
now that it's over, show your graft
tude to the boys in a more substan-
tial way than cheers. I'm ashamed of
you"
you won't need to be ashamed Of
me any longer, grandma" said Betty
meekly. "Tll make good. just hadn't
| thought about it before; and now I'm
| going to look at your tulips"
But it wasn't tulips; it was Richard
I that Betty found sitting disconsOlately
on an old seat by the lilacs. No one
could resist Betty when she wanted to
be extra charming and soon they were
talking and laughing like children.
The next day Betty returned home
and the day afterwards Richard re
ceived two letters; one was from Bet
ty, which after reading, he kissed and
| put in his inside pocket. The other
one was from Bolton & Mason, in
viting him to call at their office.
It was at the close Of the summer,