The New York herald., 1921-09-11
Old Man Williams Gets Doubtful Honor When
Lazy September Days Recall Southern
Hunting Trips in Primitive Regions
Automobile Tramps Starting
for Florida Already
BY DAN CAREY.

"HERE is something about these early
September days that takes our mind
away from the JOY Of working and
the lure of the city and makes us wish that
we were back in the open country again
whore the work is not quite so consistent
and where the whir is not made by myriad
of sounds but by the new covey trying it's
wings
We will not say that we are tired or work.
because we have never been able TO decide
at what season of the year work is least
attractive TO US, and not having decided we
now see no reason for selecting September
the time.
Every one who studies this question of
work admits that none of us is at our best
in the winter when it is too cold To work,
or in the spring. when the fever of listless-
ness strikes u.s. or in the summer during the
hot spell, or in the fall, when our minds
naturally turn to shotguns and dogs and
things like that.
The chances that working is an en-
tirely unnatural condition of life that has
been forced upon by the necessities of
civilization and by the desire to eat and
ride in automobiles.
We remember going on hunting trip
some years ago. where we met the LATEST
person We ever saw 1t was at a country
hotel, which was owned and operated by a
very fat man named Williams After eating
a hearty breakfast every morning II was
his custom to sit down in an easy chair with
a cushion in 1t and play solitaire until dinner
time. The game was interrupted only when
some one wanted to pay a bill--old man
Williams handled all the money Imme-
diately after dinner he resumed his occupa-
tion until the announcement was made that
supper was ready. He rarely played solitaire
AFTER supper, because the labors Of rhe day
required him to retire early in order to pre-
pare himself with a sound and prolonged
sleep for the work of the following day.
His wife was his assistant in the hotel
business. 1t is she OF whom we write She
displayed WEAKNESS about her work that
must have been very humiliating to old man
Williams, who, naturally enough, wanted his
hotel to be a brigh. and cheerful place
Now, all this woman had To do was t. cook
meals and wash dishes for twenty travelling,
men every day and persons such as were in
our party, who occasionally visited the place
on hunting or fishing trip. After break
fast she made the beds of the twenty guests
and of old man Williams, cleaned all the
rooms and drew water from the well for the
old fashioned pitchers in the rooms
Yet she was not cheerful about her work
As we say, she displayed a WEAKNESS that
was disconcerting We never heard her say
but one thing. and that was with nasal
drawl that is difficult to describe. AS we
sat at supper the door leading to the kitchen
would begin to open slowly. AS ii opened
the figure of this woman would roll around
the door jamb, using her shoulder as a
pivot, until she was finally in full view There
she would stand listless, weary and detected
until some one noticed her and then drawl
in nasal tones, "D'yawl want s'mo~c cof-
fee?"
We always replied in the negative prin-
cipally because doubted her energy to
go and get it.
Now, she was the only really lazy person
we have ever seen. How different SHE was
from her cheerful husband, who played his
solitaire with carefreeness that was posi-
lively refreshing, and who would willingly
interrupt his game to tell a guest to "see
my wife, please" whenever anything IN the
nature of work was to be done around the
hotel.
All, well. every one cannot be cheerful of
course. We have never held her conduct
against the poor woman. She may have
been born with a distaste for work
On this same trip we had dinner one day
at farmhouse We men, on account OF
our sex, were served first, with the excep-
tion of one young lady OF our party who
violated the custom of the country and0put
herself absolutely beyond the social pale by
sitting down and eating with the men. We