The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-09-02
MAS SLANG CURE
BY EDNA N. FoRDE.

/ -Aw, how d'ya get that way, any
wayF'" shrieked freckIe-faced Freddie
to his sister.
/ Sittin' on stone wall" she re-
torted nonchalantIy, IAN don't You get
too fresh or I'll spill the beans to ma
that you gave the cat our gold fish ~
"Aw, whadda | carel IL you squeal
about the gold fish I'll tell teacher
where you hide your chewing gum.
Seer
"WeI, awright. If you won't tell,
then / won't HuhT'
But Freddie's answer was lost as
they disappeared through the hole In
| the back yard fence
Now all the while there had been
an eavesdropper who had heard this
slangy conversation. Mrs. Hapgood,
mother Of these two scalIywags, stood
listening behind a pile Of wood which
Freddie should have chopped long
ago.
Its problem she sighed, as she
emerged and trudged her way through
the deep snow TO the chicken coop.
It's problem to know how to man.
age children nowadays"
Sarah and Freddie, Is and IA re-
spectively, were at the age when they
should have been a help and a joy
to their mother.
While Mrs. Hapgood was in the act
of collecting eggs, brilliant thought
occurred to herl She sat down right
then and there and wondered If her
| idea, carried out. would cure those
little imps of their slang and lazy
| habits. HE who hesitates is lost"
she quoted. So putting the eggs back
In the nests, she trudged the short
space from the chicken coop to the
house.
mo harm in trying, anyway" she
mused
"Yoo-hool Oh, ma-a-a-a-aI !" shouted
| voices from the back yard. as sup
per ready? Gee, we're starvin'I" And
then followed a general slamming of
doors, kicking off rubbers, shifting
from the cold and plenty of impa-
thence.
'How do you get that wayT' greeted
a voice from the next room-and they
entered to find Mrs Hapgood seated
snugly before the fireplace with a
magazine. "Why don't you two have
hearth" she continued. ST don't feel
like getting supper. 1t can go hang
for all carel"
Freddie and Sarah, round-eyed and
speechless, stood staring at her from
the doorway
The voice continued: ''The eggs
aren't in, the store is closed, the woods
not in, and there's no fire in the
range. How do you expect me to get
support"
At this point Freddie ventured to
say timidly: Now, ma. quit yer kid
dim; we're awful hungry, honest 7"
And Sarah, encouraged, ran to her
mother, threw her arms around her
neck and pleaded: please hurry, ma
we're goin' slidin' tonight up TO
Browns hill, and it's nearly time we
were leavin'l Isn't it, Freddie?" turn
ing to her brother, who burst forth
with torrent of pleadings.
Right here Mrs. Hapgood's courage
nearly failed her, but she pulled her
self together and forcing a laugh ex-
claimed: swell, if it's time to leave,
let's CO."
'sBut ma-the supper"
Never mind the supper. Slidin's
more important than eatin' anyway
let's goI'
ooh. whatever is the matter with
that bold woman on Alden street, who
never cleans her home"
I'm waitin'!" called a voice like
the wOman's on Alden street Aren't
you ready yet?"
Freddie ambled into the kitchen,
he toed the mat and mumbled: saw,
guess 1 won't go slidin' tonight, and
wish you wouldn't go either, ma"
Eyes, let's stay home and wen all
cook supper together" chimed in
Sarah.
"And wen play dominoes." suggested
Fred.
NO" declared ma, firmly. I'm sick
OF stayin' home, doin' all the work an
COOhlH IuedAs, al LdlhlH IKE a uACc
mOtherl From now on I'm goin' to
talk slang and do no work. Get meT
Mother dear. please % begged Sa-
rah. 81 don't know what has hap
pened to you, nor how you got that
I mean how you changed, but some
how I feel 1t is my fault and F'reddie's,
and If you win only say you are fool
ing, and promise you win be our own
darling sweet mother once again. I'll
do anything you want, and we won't
talk slang or be lazy any more, win
we, Freddie?"
please, ma-a-a-aI We've been too
fresh, guess. and anyway / was just
thinkin' 1 could chop half that wood
on such a nice moonlight night as to-
night''-pause-"if you'll cook us some
scrambled eggs first"
Then Mrs. Hapgood knew she had
won. Enough was said. and nobody
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