The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-07-29

she broke a plate by crashing 1t
against the other dishes in the pan.
20 my!' exclaimed Jane, who was
wiping the dishes, that's the first
awful thing to happen after mothers
gone"
''Well, and it's going to be the only
awful thing, too,' answered Louise,
but the words were hardly uttered
when pretty china pitcher she was
washing fell from her hands as she
was transferring it from the pan, and
smashed into bits.
She gave gasp, while Jane stood
wide-eyed regarding the broken china.
Then Jack came rushing in. He had
been knitting, for Jack was doing his
bit to aid the government, and was
doing it well.
Great guns!" was his emphatic re-
mark. Must have been an air raid,
from the looks of things around here
Louise was rather irritated over the
accident. stop your foolishness,
Jack! You make me tired with your
talk. Why don't you keep out-you
can 40 any gooQ!
"All right, I'll go where l can do
some good,' grinned Jack, and he
went back to resume his knitting.
Louise and Jane felt very badly over
the accident to the dishes, especially
so since it meant that there would he
bad news to tell their mother on her
return, and they had decided to have
nothing awful to tell this time.
When 1t was time to get lunch, the
older sister put on the meat which
her mother had left in the pantry, and
soon it was boiling merrily.
Say, that stew smells good,' called
out Jack, "but be careful, and don't
knock it off the stove, Lou To
which admonition Louise made an
swer that if he had too much to say
he wouldn't get any of the meat at
all. She then added the necessary in
gradients, and the stew was a very
savory combination when it was done
and ready to be dished up.
Jane, who was a very good little
helper, set the table, cut the bread
and made herself generally useful
A sudden crash in the kitchen and a
cry from Louise brought Jane and
Jack to the scene to find the kettle OF
stew lying overturned on the floor
20 my, O MY" Louise was exclaim
ing.
This sight irritated Jack, for he was
very hungry, and had been looking
| or1 70 h &c
hopes were wrecked.
well, there's no use in standing
here looking at this awful stuff" de
clared Louise, after survey of the
scene. I'm going to scrape it up,
and she proceeded to get a large
spoon and took up the top which ha6
not come in contact with the floor
Then with a mop and water she
washed the floor and removed al
traces of the dire disaster.
After all, most of the stew was
saved, and Jacks dinner wasn't such
a failure, for there were salad
mashed potato, and pudding, besides
But just to tease Louise, the cook
Jack declared that he could taste gri1
in the gravy, and that the linoleum or
the floor had given the stew very
queer flavor; but that Lou took the
prize for making what might be called
a kitchen floor stew.
No further mishap marred the day
until it was time to wash the supper
dishes. Mrs. Howe was to have tht
evening meal with her sister, so the
three children had their supper before
their mother came home. But the
good woman was unprepared to SET
Jack with his arm bandaged and in {
sling when she entered the house
and yet, Mrs. Howe had wondered OF
her way home if it could possibly turn
out that no accidents would Occur
during her absence.
This is what had happened Wher
Louise went to carry the kettle full
of water to the dishpan, Jack some
} how got in her way. However, Jacl
had it that Louise went out of he1
way to get mixed UP in another catas
trophe, and Mrs. Howe, as she lis
tened to the story, concluded that il
| was Oil uuG~ u Tie CluIHSluGSS aGC
lack Of reflection on the part oil
Louise. At any rate, the contents oil
the kettle were spilled over the boys
arm, resulting in a severe burn. But
Louise had exhibited great skill and
ability in bandaging and dressing the
injured arm, and her mother could not
but wonder at and praise the manner
in which it had been done. The
burn was very painful and required
some time to heal, and Louise acted
as nurse, dressing the arm regularly
despite the protests OF Jack who, to
tease his sister, declared that he was
almost afraid to have her monkeyine
with his arm OF anything that be-
longed to him.
It was during this time that Louise
made UP her mind to be a nurse. She
had often wondered what she would
like to be:-now she made her deci
sion. Mrs. Howe, knowing her awk
ward and thoughtless ways, feared
that the girl would hardly succeed in
that vocation; but despite many trials
and much encouragement Louise per
severed in her chosen work, and be
came a splendid, capable nurse.
Today she is serving a big military
hospital in France, and many a gal
liant soldier owes his life and health