Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-03
An Unexpected Guest

THE telephone rang as ! stood in the
L hall looking out through the screen
door with unsrcing eyes. and | hurried
to answer it.
Norman might have stopped some
where to telephone back TO me. Already
he might have repcnted leaving the
house in anger. but when ] took off
the receiver. il was mothers voice that
spoke to me,
Joan, | am leaving on the afternoon
train to 20 TO your grandmother" were
her first words. she has had Il
stroke"
For n moment the thought Of my
own troubles was swallowed up in my
sympathy for mother. for although
grandmothor was old. and we had been
expecting something of the kind for a
long time, knew how mother would
feel abou, it,
''I'm at my wits ends about Edith. v
mother went on. shes visiting one
of her school friends now. but She s
coming back Saturday. and she's so
headstrong, Joan, | don't like the idea
of her staying here at the apartment
| alone
Instantly ! responded with the only
| thing there was for me to say. send
| her right out here TO me. dear. and
don't think another thing about it. Id
| love To have her.
Mother seemed relieved, and ! was
| moro than glad to be able TO ease her
mind. With the promise to let me know
if anything serious happened and tho
assurance that there was nothing more
that could do. she rang of
The thought of having Edith witt,
m" was cheering. 1t took my mind of
myself. and ! was sure that Norman
would be pleased. He and Edith hadn't
met until the wedding. for she had been
at a fashionable finishing school when
Norman and I had first met. but they
had seemed to like each other. and | was
eager for n chance TO know my little
sister better. 1t had seemed 10 mo dur
ing the last few years that we had
grown apart. Edith's ideas were sc
different from mine. and she was sc
brutally frank about things. and SC
utterly lacking in sentiment. But
forgot all of this in the thought Of hav.
ing her with me. and | Immediately SCI
about having the guest room put II
order for her arrival.
How soothing it is for a woman whc
is not happy to potter about witt
household tasks. Mary was busy will
her own work. so | took the preparing
Of the guest room into my own hands
I was busy transferring some of NJ!
personal things from my room to Edith
when the telephone rang again. and
hurried down to answer it. sure tEa
this time it must be Norman.
! Again I was doomed to disappoint
ment. for II was Herbert Livingston.
I'm moving out TO Hilton on Satur
day" he announced Immediately. an
there was glad ring in his voice. IL
sounded almost boyishly enthusiastic
and / was appropriately responsive.
would be good to have Herbert so ncal
'. above all now that Edith was coming
and on impulse asked him to dinner o
Saturday night.
The minute I rang of. however.
wondered If I had done right. Edit
would probably think Herbert stodg,
and I knew that Norman was bore
with him. Well. Edith could anus
Norman and I would take the enter
tanning Of Herbert on myself. Thc
= would solve the problem. and my spimt
rose again at the thought. If | ha
known at that moment how things wei
l going to work out, and that there woul
come a time when | would almost ha,
| my own little sister. would not has
been SO satisfied with my plans. 1t
, Just az we'll that we don't know before
hand just what fate has in store fC
a us, so that we can meet our problem
e one at time.
!, vo,,,orro,r- -rNorvpau Hanna tI,o No,,