, 1921-12-31

AfNulcrs JuIlur, anu LHtt Lnoty AltAo
Henry Rooter. and call Il a~musementT'
Then why do you do itY'
why DO I do what mnmar Flor
ence inquired as II in despair OF Mrs
Atwater's ever learning to put things
clearly.
"why do you spend all your days
watching themf You don't seem able
to keep away from the window. and
It appears to make you irritable 1
should think II they wouldn't let you
play with them you'd be too proud
"oh. good heavens mama"
Don't use expressions like that,
Florence. please"
-weil." ssid Florence. 4 got to use
some expression when you accuse me
Of wantn' to play with those " vile
thlngsi Ny goodness mercy, mama. /
don't want to play with 'eml tn
more than four years old. / guess;
though you don't ever seem willing to
give me credit for It ] don't haf to
play all the time. mama; and. any
way. Herbert and that nasty little
Henry Rooter aren't playing. either"
Aren't theyr" Mrs. Atwater In
| CURED ct thought the other day you
said you wanted them to let you play
! at being n newspaper reporter. or edi-
| tor. or something like that, with them.
and they were rude and told you to go
away. Wasn't thar itf'
Florence sighed. mo. mama, 1t
cert'niy wasn't"
They weren't rude to you'll"
Eyes. they cert,niy werer
"weIl. then"
"Mama, can't you understands
Florence turned from the window to
| beseech Mrs. Atwnter's concentration
upon the matter. TT Isn't 'p~layingi'
1 didn't want to play being a report
er: they amt playing"
Aren't playing, Florence"
"Yes'm. They're not. Herbert's
got a real printing press: Uncle Jo-
seph gnve 1t to him. It's a real one,
mama, can't you understands
"rn try" said Mrs. Atwater. You
mustn't get SO excited about 1t. Flor
ence."
I'm not I" Florence turned vche-
Tently. 81 guess It'd take more than
those two vile things md their old
printin' press to get me excited l
don't care what they do; it's far less
than nothing to me All / wish is
they'd fall on the fence and break
| their vile ole necksr.
With this manifestation OF imper-
sonal calmness. she turned again to
the window: but her mother protest
ed. do find something else to amuse
you. Florence: and quit watching
those foolish boys: you mustn't let
them upset you SO by their playing"
Florence moancd. '1They don't up
set me, mnmal They have no effect
on me by the slightest degreel And /
told you. mama. they're not playing"
-Then what are they doingT.
"Well. they're having a newspaper.
They got the printing press and an
ofice In Herbert's ole stable, and ev-
erything. They got somebody to give
EN- some ole banisters and a railing
from a house that was torn down
somewheres, and then they got It stuck
up in the stable loft, so 1t runs across
with a kind of a gate In the middle of
these banisters, and on one side Is
the printing press, and the other side
thCJ 6Vt a aCoh lAut uaclf llklte
Henry Rooter's mothers attic; and a
table and some chairs. and a map on
the wall; and that's their newspaper
ofice. They 90 out and look for what's
the news. and write It down in ink
and then they go through the gate to
the other side Of the railing where the
printing press is. and print it for their
newspaper"
But what do they do on the fence
SO much7"
THAT'S where they 20 TO watch
what the new is" Florence explained
morosely. They think they're SO
grand, sittin' up there. pokin' around.
They 20 other places. too; and they
ask people That's all they said ]
could be re- Here the lady's bitterness
became strongly intensified. ~They
said, maybe / could be one o. the ones
they asked II I knew anything. some
times, II they happen to think Of It'll ]
Just respectfly told 'em I'd decline to
wipe my oldest shoes on 'em to saw
their lives"
Mrs. Atwater sighed. You mustn't
use such expressions, Florence"
Il don't see why not" the daughter
objected. They're a lot more refined
than the expressions they used on
mel"
Then I'm very glad you didn't play
with them"
But at this, Florence once more
gave way to hlial despair. Mama,
you just can't see through anything l
I've said anyhow fifty times they amt
aren't playingi They're getting up a
real newspaper. and people buy it,
and everything. They have been ell
over this part of town and got every
aunt and uncle they have. besides their
own fathers and mothers. and some
people in the neighborhood, and Kitty
Silver and two or three other colored
people besides. that work for families
they know. They're going to charge
TWENTY-FIVE cents a wear. collcct-in-ad-