The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-08-26

Just Hooking out tho window"
Thank you. That's better. Come
here. want to talk to you
Yes. father"
1 went. OF course. At once. and sat
down In the chair near him. He
hitehed again I'm his seat.
why, don't you do something
read. sew. knit7" no demanded
why do I always find you moping
around. doing nothing7"
just like that no said Il: and when
he had just told me-
why. fatherr' cried: and I know
that ! showed how surprised was.
II thought you Just said l couldn't
do nothlng--that nobody couldf'
"Ehf Whatf Tut. tutF' He
seemed very angry at FIRST. then
suddenly he looked sharply into my
face. Next. II youii believe IL. he
iaughed-the queer little chucklo
under his breath that I've heard him
give two or three times when there
was something he thought Was fun.
NY. -Humphr' he grunted- Then
no gave me another sharp look out
OF his eyes. and said: IL don't think
you meant that TO be quito 80 I'm.
pertinent as IL sounded. Mary. 30
wen let IL pass-this time. IN put
my question this way; Don't you
ever knit or read or sewT-
II do sew every day In Aunt
James room. 10 minutes hemming.
10 minutes scanning. and 10 minutes
basting patchwork squares together.
I don't know how to knit
How abou, r-adlngr Don't you
care for readingr"
why. OF course I do. I love III
cried And DO read iots--ai
home"
"At--homor-
knew then. OF course. that ia
made another awful break. There
wasn't any smile around fathers
eyes now. and his lips came together
hard and thin over tina, last word.
"At--at my home I staInmcrrd.
II mean. my other home"
''Humphr' grunted father. Then.
after a minute. but why. pray,
can't you read hcr~f I'm sure there
arc--books enough lie fiourishcd
his hands toward the bookcases all
around tho room.
'oh. de---a little: but. you ere.
I'm 30 afraid I'll leave some OF thcm
out when I'm thru" I explained
Well. what OF III What II you
dor he demanded
- - -.
the way l said IL that he knew
OF cours, he knew. But he made
me tell him right out that Aun,
Jane wouldn't like Il, and that he
wouldn't like u. and that the books
always had 60 be kept exactly where
they belonged.
well. why notr why shouldn't
,heyr" he asked then. almost eroas.
~. and hi,ching again In his chair.
Aren't books down therein Hoo
ton--kept where they belong. prayY~
IL was the nrst time since I'd
come that he'd ever mentioned Boz
ton. and I almost jumped out of my
chair when I heard him. But soon
saw IL wasn't going to be tho last.
10 question me. even worse than
Aunt Jane had.
He wanted TO know everything.
everything. all about the house. with
It's cushions and coy corners and
curtains way W. and books LET,
around easy 10 get and magazines.
and Baby Lester. and the fun we
had romplnx with him. and every.
thing. Only. OF course. didn',
mention mother. Aunt Jane had told
inc not to--not anywhere. and TO be
specially careful befor, father. But
what can you do when he asks you
himself. right out plaIng And that's
what no did.
He'd been up on his feet. tramping
up and down tho room all the time
I'd been talking: and now. all Of a
sudden. he wheels around and stops
short
How is-your mother. Mary he
asks. And u was just as II he'd
opened the door TO another room. he
had such a whole lot OF questions
to ask after that. And when he'd
finished he knew everything; what
time wc got up and went 20 bed.
and what we did all day, and the
parties and dinners and auto rides.
and the folks that came such n lot
to sec mother.
Then all Of n sudden he stopped
asking questions. mean. He
stopped just as suddenly as he'd be.
gun. Why. | was right In the mid.
die of telling about a concert for
charity we got up just before I came
away. and how mother had prac.
ticed for days and days with the
young man who played the violin.
when all of n sudden father jcrked
his watch from his pocket and said:
There. there. Mary. It's getting
late. You've talked cnough--,oo
much. Now go TO bed Good. night"
Talked too much. indeed And
who'd been making me do all the
talking. should like to known But.
OF course. couldn't say anything.
That's the unfair part OF II. Old
folks can say anything. anything
they want to 10 you. but you can't
say a thing back to them-not a
thing.
And 70 I went 10 bed. And the
next day all that father said 10 me
was. "Good.morning. Mary" and
Good night" just as he had ever
since / came. And that's all he's
said yesterday and today. But he's
looked at me. He's looked at mo
lot / know. because at mcaltimes
and others. when he's been in the
room with me, I've looked up and
found his eyes on me. Funny. isn't
TT
Two weeks later
Well. don't know as have any.
thing very special to say. Still. I
suppose ought TO write something:
so I'll put down what little there Is.
or course. there doesn't so much