The Washington herald., 1921-11-20
Mother Was the Object of
So Much Solicitude That
She Longed for Just a
Little Wholesome Neglect.

Little Wholesome Neglect.
EVERYBODY called them the Farnam
II thor were married. Whether this
IL sirls.s notwithstanding the fact that
vas due To the enduring quality Of their
nltal devotion or to q certain spinsterliness
that persisted In them, remained subject for
ontecture.
There were three Of them-Eiizabeth.
Mary and Ruth.
Elizabeth was thirty. In her twenty eighth
year, a women physically inactive are prone
to do when youth Is on tho wane, she had
begun to put on weight Lindsay Weston.
her husband, loyalty asseveratsd upon all
occasions that he liked It Perhaps he did
II So he must hsve failed to observe the
pockets under the eyes that the supernuous
flesh was making. the nothing of the relaxed
skin Not but that. upon the whole, his wife
was nns. outstanding woman a. women 70.
The second daughter. Mary, though pos
ssssed Of As largo . frame was not we'll
nned out as her elder sister. She was in
fact, bony. Nature had taksn unnecessary
pains, It seemed, with q faes which was
hardly worth the trouble Of modelling. The
cheek bones were high. the chin inadequate.
the lips thin. Yet Mary had made . desir-
able match Her husband came Of people IN
good standing in the community, Nobody
quite knew how she had managed to attach
Jim. but the fact remained that she bad
Rntb b> llw
a live wire. In matters ctvtc or charitable
she was inevitably to the fore She was
potentially the best looking Of the sisters,
but she dissipated this advantage by wearing
her hat high on tho summit of her head and
ruthlessfy displaying her prominent ears.
Her talk consisted of assertions closely
strung together and uttered with her fAcs
as close as possible to that Of shs person
addressed
Not one Of them, It was universally ad-
mitted, could hold q candle 10 their mothar.
Mrs. Farnam's figure was as supple and
slender AZ . girla Her bloom was the more
subtle for being 4 little faded. like roses At
twilight; her hair none the less alluring
because one felt rather than saw in it ths
underlying brown
Mr.. Farnam had surprisingly retained hts
physical energy and the freshness Of his out
look upon life. He had the stoop Of the tall
man approaching sixty but his white hair
was thick As ever and his spare figure
showed a pleasing eoncavity In the rexion
Of his gold watch chain. This chain he had
worn for half a century. az well As q gold
band through which his necktie was thrust
The substitution Of q variegated necktie for
his former black oravat was his only con-
cession. far his personal appearance
was concerned. to moderntty.
In business, however, he was progressive
enough. He had passed BY natural stages
from the exploitation of aostylens lighting
to that Of gas. thence to electricity. and for
the past year he had been engaged in the
installation OF electric lighting plants upon
farms
His efforts In this last venture had met
With extraordinary success-so much 50 that
he had moved into larger Offices and had
taken his third son-fnlaw into a partnership
two. By this action were further cemented
ties already remarkably close Indeed, the
relations Of the Farnam family we're the
wonder of the town, exploited a. one Of its
assets. like the model village at its outskirts
near the soap factory.
At least four evenings . week, with o.
without their husbands, the girls spent In
the society Of their parents, either at their
own homes or in the white frame house set
back" from the street, In which they had an
house with an air Of sweet retirement that
breathed Of Mrs Farnam herself.
In the arc light that the town, bent upon
Improvement, had latterly placed at the
corner Of the street. 1t was mysteriously
necked. upon an early summer night, with
motionless shadows Of leaves Together tn
owners had planted the stalwart trees that
flung them, more than thirty years aso.
Their love had been a little love then, pre-
cartous OF root as the saplinss, swayink In
every breeze Now it was a thing Of many
years growth; significant, veather-proof.
Behind the house was Z little garden, with
q Jagged walk that cut the flower beds in
two. The air that erept upward from 1t
toward the bedroom window was blended of
pleasant odors. When their daughters had
left them after an evening grouped about
the lamp, Mr.. and Mrs. Fsrnam often went
cut there to pace the circumscribed area and
enjoy the fragrance. arm in arm. Such