Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-12

and said 90 to Prudence.
"But must have storage ROOM" she
walled, digging into the boz before her,
which seemed to hold only old bats
old frames OF hats at that. She surely
had been collecting them for all the ten
years OF her married life-even admitted
Il when tasked with It.
"But they are too good to throw
away" she said dustily, and sorted them
carefully.
'sGood for what earthly thing, Pru-
dence Walkers" snapped. She hastily
finished that box, and began on huge
trunk. This held out-of-date coats.
None badly worn, and, to do Prudence
Justice, none that could by any sleight
Of hand be altered into present-dsy
style. She 10 economical. But the
cloaks should have gone to some charity
at the time they were discarded.
Then barrel engaged her attention.
This WAS filled to the brim with care
fully packed brio q brsc, Of oil degrees
OF hideousness.
"Bill simply won't have ornaments
about, be says they are the mischief
Satan finds for idle hands,"
.'Good for Bill, but why hoard its
Do you expect 1t to top the market and
make you Independently wealthy ut
some long future date"
"Yes, but 'Licious, / can't throw It
away-it's too good" So 1t went
through that interminsble morning,
broken into by = heart to-beart scrap
between Prue, Jr., and Bud.
They were cold and tired, and the side
porch Was not suitable plsyroom for .
gusiy April day.
At luncheon everybody was too cross
to eat, 90 after pretense at II the chill.
dren were put to nap, and Prudence and
again attacked the Attic-it was .
capital by that time!
Over and under the tops We went for
two terrible hours. Old blouses, old
uecklies, old socks, old pictures, pecks
Of photographs, piles Of patterns, Bih's
stringless guitar, the physical exer-
cissr'' he used week, an oil stove that
would never burn again, box Of past
tense electric bulbs,-and bale of calen-
dars ofrhe years that have flown.
It was the last, that as Bill would
have said, "got my goat" "For the
love OF Mike, Prudence, what and when
old calendarsq"
She began to say, "They're too good
to throw away" but l stopped her.
"Listsn to me, Prudence Walker; do
you know you have the worst case OF
hoarditis that ever SAW Why, It's
absolutely disease With you. All this
10 junk, positively nothing else, and you
are cluttering up Q space with II that
could be used ~ comfortable playroom
for the childreu-and that little above
for . compact little sewing-rOom. It's
good to be economical, but there Ii no
real savlng In boarding up useless trash,
wasting needed house space. And the |
time you spend foolishly going over oil
this every spring aud fall! You were
telling me yesterday how you couldn't
find q moment for your music any more,
nor time to 60 into town to play. Yet
you waste hours up here, and for no |
good.
Discard all this trash, do the attic
up to use, and don't leave yourself |
place TO board. You know there's
tour-legged animal that hoards-but you
surely are not one!"
"It's all very we'll for you to talk, |
'Licis, but you are city dweller where
people have no chance to keep discards.
"Hsven't theya Used to be one my
self, but you remember aunt 'Neel who |
died upstate? She was almost a. bad
40 you, and I had to go over her thlngs |
after her death. wasn't we'll, 90 had |
one Of the neighbor girls In to help.
"Aunt had kept everything for the
last fifty years, from her old switches to |
broken mouse traps, and to have IL all
laid bare to the mirthful eyes of
stranger In the end! I went homo and
bad real 'clarin'-up spell, and when
ever am tempted to hoard now, / see |
In my mind that giggling girl turning |
over aunt's cherished saves And hear |
her say, NY soul, Amt that q funny |
thing to ksep?"
Prudence listened, half convinced,
when Just tten Fate sounded two horns.
One was nasal and Jewish, "Old-irn-rags.
oldiru-o ldirn-ra-sgs." Tho other was
from below stairs, and even I knew II
for Buddy's danger signal.
"Go on to Buddy, Pil bargain with |
old Nathan" I offered generously. II
did, too, and cleared that attic OF every ]
thing bot some Of the best of tho dis |
cardsd furniture, the trunks, and . few
OF tho pictures whose frames could be
used
I took my vacation right then by
grace Of reasonable ONCE "boss," and |
when It was ended, Prudence had two
pleasant attic rooms for the children and |
herself, and the day / left ! heard her
calling the Salvation Army on the phone
to como for Buddy's outgrown winter
coat, Bilps brogues that turned out too
smsll to wear, and her own old rain
cape, vice new one, gift of Bile rich
uncle.
noticed she had the last two months
magazines and papers neatly tied. and
waiting By tho bundle Of clothing.
"NsVss0 had such . glorious good
time" I told her ~ I waited for the
train that would take me back to an
other kind of work.
"Don't backslide, though, for / don't
want to have it all to do over again next
spring."
Wonder n she has. wouldu't mind
terribly n she did, for there's something |
In riguing about housekeepipg-perhaps |
II the city editor offers mo that life desk /
IN my own saDctum, oncs moro, I'll take
&c.
But I shall not hoard uselesses, to
waste my time and strength over.
Neither In houss nor heart sball keep
the outworn relics Of by-gone days.
II furniture or sentiment cannot be
useful In the present, I'll throw II away,
II csn throw II whore Il may DO picked
up and used BY some ono else, bat never
win turn my homo or soul into
junk Room.