Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-03-19
CHAPTER III

First of Three Visits That Sh
Ever Pays IN Her Career" a
| Which Pleasant Time is No
BY ALL"
Even the most realistic story o
: married life drags after time if tn
| attempt is made to chronicle tn,
: thousand and one situations ant
struggles and sacrifices and anticipa
tons and heart-hOpes of the day.
and the months and the years. Ant
a; the greatest part of Mary Purse
story is the last part, we can turr
the pages OF the files here in grea,
handfuls down through the Eighties
after Il passing reference to one
or two situations that stand out ir
high-light after the new baby came
We didn't see much of Mary aftcl
the first yongster arrived. Now and
then one of us in the office would
meet her pushing rather noisy baby
carriage with wooden wheels and
steel tires along the village streets
OF pleasant afternoon, perhaps
idling along the Main street windows
and pausing to gaze wistfully into
them, working the carriage forward
and backward to keep Thomas JOSH
ua Purse from riling up the entire
business section. We took note of
the very plain clothes and how the
sleeves of her jacket were always
just out of fashion. Her hat would
be pinned too far back on her head.
Her rubbers would be sewed neatly
enough with black thread where the
shoes had broken through.
But her face, despite the fine lines
of care and labor that were begin
ming to come and which were indeed
changing her from girl into a
woman, was still pretty. And when
anyone, even strangers, stopped as
fussy old ladies sometimes will OF
toothless gentlemen carrying canes,
to comment on the size and health
Of the lusty youngster in the car
riagc, there was pathetic pride
upon which seemed to defy the town
and the world.
Then one day Mibb stood on the
front porch when Mary went down
to answer the bell. She was over
fed, over-dressed, over-masseured.
"Wcll," said she, the condescension
in her voice not to be MISTAKEN
"I've come to see your baby"
Mary was dressed in a cheap
wrapper, her breast was decorated
with safety pins, the apron gathered
in quick roll at her waist. 1t was
blotched where Thomas Joshua
Purse had five minutes before upset
dish of syrup upon her and she
had no other to wear until morning.
She remembered that the parlor cur
tains were in the wash and the front
room looked barren as small barn
without them; that the sitting room
was strewn with brilliant tops, hope
lessly wrecked trains of cast-iron
cars and picture blocks which were
ideal when one had an ankle he
wished to turn and make useless for
Il week. Half her weeks dry-wash
was strewn abuot the same room
where she had been sprinkling when
the bell rang. And yet she could not
refuse Mibb entrance. Biting her
lip, Mary tried to smile and invited
the other upstairs.
81 suppose l ought to have called
on you BEFORE" declared Mibb,"
but I've been so busy getting the
Holland house properly furnished !
with Mama having so many con-
trary ideas which she simply must
see carried out, and there's been so
much to see since Herbert's father
passed away"-(and Mibb sighed
wonderfully welD--"that l haven't
had the chance to think about any
body. My!--what little house!
And do you live in these three
rooms?
eyes," replied Mary quietly,
we live here, the three of us, "a
room apiece!" she laughed, "and
find ourselves quite comfortable"
"Well, I declare. l couldn't
stand it. l must have space. Only
yesterday l was telling Herbert that
VIC must tear out the wall on the
north room of the library before the
called the rebuilding
finished and make that room larger.
/ can't bear to be cramped. Large
rooms and plenty of them is my
motto. And what's this?"
"This," replied Mary, wheeling the
with the coarse wooden
wheels over,"-is Tommy Joshua
Purse, age eight months and fifteen
days"
"My stars! What's the matter
with him."
With startled turn Mary bent
over the carriage. She inventoried
the contents with puzzled anxiety.