The Hope pioneer., 1922-06-22
CHAPTER Vl-continued.
TWO DAYS AFTER THANKSGIVING

TWO DAYS AFTER THANKSGIVING
Tbe violinist has got rival. I'm
sure he has. It's Mr.. Easterbrook.
He's old-nuch as forty-and bald
headed and fat, and has got lots of
money. And he's very estimable
man. Il heard Aunt Hattie say that.)
He's awfully jolly, and l like him. He
brings me the loveliest boxes of candy,
and calls me Puss. Il don't like that,
particularly. I'd prefer him to call
me Miss Anderson.) He's not nearly
SO good-looking as the violinist. The
vfolinist is lots more thrilling, but
shouldn't wonder if Mr.. Easterbrook
was more comfortable to live with.
The violinist is the kind of man
that makes you want to sit up and
take notice, and have your hair and
finger nails and shoes just right; but
with Mr.. Easterbrook you wouldn't
mind a bit sitting in big chair be-
fore the fire with pair of old slippers
on, if your feet We're tired.
Mr.. Easterbrook doesn't care for
music. He's broker. He looks aw-
fully bored when the violinist is play
ing, and he fidgets with his watch
chain, and clears his throat very loud
~ just before he speaks every time.
His automobile is bigger and hand
somer than the violinist's. (Aunt Hat
tie says the violinfsts automobile is
hired one.) And Mr. Easterbrook's
flowers that he sends to Mother are
handSomer, too. and lots more of them,
than the violinist's. Aunt Hattie has
noticed that, too. In fact. guess there
isn't anything about Mr. Easterbrook
that she doesn't notice.
Aunt Hattie likes Mr.. Easterhrook
lots better than she does the violinist.
/ heard her talking to Mother one day.
ONE WEEK LATER
d There hasn't much happened-only
one or two things. But maybe I'd bet
ter tell them before l forget it, espe-
cially as they have good deal to do
with the love part of the story. And
I'm always so glad to get anything of
that kind. I've been so afraid this
wouldn't be much of love story, after
all. But I guess it will be, all right.
Anyhow, know Mothers part will he
for it's getting more and more excit-
ing-about Mr.. Easterbrook and the
violinist, / mean.
They both want Mother. Anybody
can see that now, and, of course. Moth
er sees it. But which she'll take
don't know. Nobody knows. It's per-
fectly plain to be seen, though, which
one Grandfather and Aunt Hattie want
her to take! It's Mr.. Easterbrook.
And he is awfully nice. lie brought
me perfectly beautiful bracelet the
other day-but Mother wouldn't let me
keep it. So he had to take it back.
don't think he liked it very well, and
/ didn't like it, either. l wanted that
bracelet. But Mother says I'm much
too young to Wear much jewelry. Oh,
will the time ever come when I'll be
old enough to take my proper place in
the world? Sometimes it seems as If
it never would!
Well, as 1 said, it's plain to be seen
who it is that Grandfather and Aunt
Hattie favor; but I'm not so sure about
Mother. Mother acts funny. Some
times she won't go with either of them
anywhere; then she seems to want to
20 all the time. And she acts as if
she didn't care which she went with,
so long as she was just going-solne-
where. l think, though, she really likes
the violinist the best; and l guess
Grandfather and Aunt Hattie think so,
too.
Something happened last night.
Grandfather began to talk ut the din
ner table. He'd heard something he
didn't like about the violinist, guess.
and he started in to tell Mother. But
they stopped him. Mother and Aunt
Hattie looked at him and then at me.
and then back to him, in their most
see-who' 's-here! - you mustn't-talk-be-
fore-her way. So he shrugged his
shoulders and stopped.
But l guess he told them in the H.
brary afterwards for heard them all
talking very excitedly, and some loud
and l guess Mother didn't like what
they said, and got quite angry, for
heard her say, when she came out
through the door, that she didn't be-
lieve word of it, and she thought it
was wicked, cruel shame to tell
stories like that just because they
didn't like q man.
ONE WEEK LATER
Well, l guess now something has
happened all right! And let me say
right away that don't like that violin
ist now, either, any better than Grand
father and Aunt Hattie. And it's not
entirely because Of what happened last
night, either. It's been coming on for
q whichever since first saw him
talking to Theresa In the hall when
she let him In one night week ago.
Theresa is awfully pretty, and ]
guess he thinks so. Anyhow. I heard
him telling her so in the hall, and she