Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-13
A SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
The Story of Woman's Transformation.
by MARION RUBINCAM.
Protected by George Matthew Adams
JAMES.
Chapter LII.

Life resumed its normal course.
After the wedding we settled down
to quiet and to comparative leisure.
The actual routine of work was harder,
because there was one pair OF hands
less, but there was also less work.
"And Laura wasn't so much use this
last year." Esther summed it up few
days after the ,eremony. FIRST she
worried so as To whether she'd get him
or not thrt she did half the jobs wrong.
And then when she did get him she was
so busy over her own sewing that she
hadn't much time for plain dlshwashing.
and wedding"
Still. there was one room less TO clean
and care for, one less to cook for though
in our huge family that made no APP
preciable difference. We were SIMPLY not
so concerned with Laura's eternal en-
broidering and the making of her trous-
seau.
"Well, / got one of my children safely
married" Esther remarked with deep
satisfaction. She was cutting up four
chickens for dinner that day, standing
bv the kitchen table with cleaver In
one hand and a long knife on the ohopping
board The wind through the open window
blew the loose ends of her hair about her
face, and whipped up torn ruifle on her
working dress. She looked curiously,
like methodical Fury hewing up victims
for the sacrifice.
Laura being the oldest, she ought
TO go first" she went on. "Of course
always hoped I'd get you married of
before any of them--you ought to a
been married Is years ago with growing
children yourself by this time. But !
won't say anything about that any more
This was delivered with great en-
phasis while Esther removed another
section of the chicken and Land 1T ASIDE.
IL s pose James will go next, she went
on. 'eWell, James wife has got to live
here and help me, for Violetll never
be any good around farmhouse. Be
sides, James is needed here on the place.
Her cleaver came down on the poor
carcass of the chicken as she ended.
With one blow she settled the des-
tiny of the chicken, and her con. Again
the idea of Esther rs sort OF heart
less fury came to my mind.
"Violetl marry some fool, i s'poee,
she went on, throwing the meat into
the pot OF boiling water on the stove.
and you'll encourage her to do It.
But It, wont be that Pearsoll boy. III
see to that. | guess I'll make some dumping
for this. I hese chickens is pretty skimpy."
| went to the pantry TO get her the
-four. After all, why answer herr
There are some women whose per
sonalities areso dominant that they actual
/ ly stamp themselves upon everyone they
/ touch. Esther was this sort. She had
/ moulded Laura into q replica OF herself
/ James was her next victim. wondered
/ whether the rebellion in Violet and my
| self would carry us safely away from her.
/ | thought for time that James would
| escape But this summer ! had begun TO
see him gradually ccasing to struggle
against it. saw it plainl that very day
/ Violet, hunting eggs from q nest con-
/ ceaIed in the barn, called to me escit-
edly. ! followed her to the haymow---
| and there. down under the hay, she
| showed me James workshop.
II Just ran across II by accident,
she said. 'You see, there's six feet of
space between the sloping roof of the
carriage house and the ceiling OF it
think Father was going to store things
in il; that is why he had the ceiling put on :
James has sawed of some boards where
this Joins the barn at { he hay NOV, and
/ made hinges from leather straps, so he
can get through and no one suspects
/ it's a door at ALL Besides it is covered
/ bv hay most of the time. | should think
| he'd suffocate wadinQ his way through.
! James had allowed for that, however,
by placing boards over a sort oil tun-
! mel he had made through the hay
/ probably while they were putting IT II
earlier in the summer This kept the
weight of the hay from the little space
he had managed to leave between the
big NOW and the wall of the barn. ]
remembered that James had piled il