The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-20
How Mother Graham Fared Where
Madse Failed.

t no" moInEr 1Tanam dTSd "HGFS
Madse, Failed.
| It was Just after breakfast that I
| turned away from the telephone, realiz-
/ ing what the old saying, heart in ones
! boots" meant. Mine was certainly
clear at the tips of my toes. My dis
may must have been reflected in my
/ face, for I saw the faces of my family
express concern, and Dicly exclaimed:
| THE movers can't come. I'll bet a
cooky that's it"
You win the cooky" I returned,
with a feeble attempt at merrjment,
although 1 felt more like weeping than
joking. 1 had been too stunned 10y the
! gruff announcement of the man a the
other end of the wire TO make any
comment and he had hung up the tel
/ ephone before l had recovered my
breath. He evidently was afraid of the
/ protests to which he might have TO
/ listen.
/ rs this Mrs. Graham ?" he had ask
/ ed, and in answer to my yes" had
blurted out:
| Terrible sorry, Mrs. Graham, but
/ the roads are so bad we can't possibly
get up there to your place with a
truck, and we can't get hold of any
horses for love or money. We've tried
/ everywhere, so Wen just have to
/ thrown up the job. If you can't find
anybody else and can wait until the
roads get better Wen be glad to do
/ the job, but just now it's impossible"
Margaret" My mother in laws
voice was as grim as her face, which
/ looked as if it were carved out of
granite. DO you mean to tell me that
you let that man tell you he couldn't
come, and never opened your head TO
tell him he had to come, no matter
what the excuse?"
Il didn't have any chance. mother"
I returned. He talked very hurriedIy
and hung up the receiver before / had
any opportunity to answer"
4 suppose he gave the roads as an
excuse" Dicky said, and his airily
tnonchalant air irritated me more than
his mothers militant approval Of my
easy going ways. He had such a de
tached air as if the moving were some
other family's problem than his own.
Well they are awful but that prob
ably isn't the real reason. He's no
doubt got an easier job somewhere
and has thrown us over"
oh, 1 don't think so, DicI1y," I pro-
tested. Don't you remember seeing
those moving trucks stalled in the
mud last week? And it's been thawing
and freezing alternately ever since
1t must be worse than ever now"
Margaret, l could shake YOU" my
mother-in-law exclaimed irritabIy.
Here you expect the movers tomor-
row morning; they disappoint you and
all you can do is to stand around max
ing excuses for them. And you're about
as bad, Richard she went on, turn
ing to her son. Why aren't you at
that telephone making the fellow I'M
derstand that if he has taken the con-
tract to move you, he's got to do it.
| If he carries your stuff out on his
shoulders"
Because it wouldn't be the slight
est use Dicky replied lazily. You
don't know these particular natives,
mother. They're the most independent
cusses on earth. They have an idea
that if they consent to do any work
for you you ought to go down on your
knees in gratitude for their conde-
scensiOn. And they do it in their own
good time and way, or not at all, Just
as it suits them"
I always knew you were a fool,
| Richard" his mother returned tartlv.
but this exhibition Of idiocy is posi-
lively sickening. What's that mans
telephone number? He may not 90 as
he has agreed, but he's certainly going
to hear piece of my mind"
And he certainly did, as we. who sat
breathlessly amused during the spir-
tied telephone conversation that fol-
lowed, could testify. Mother Graham
has an extensive and vigorous vocab-
ulary mad when she is angry she
doesn't mince her words. But 1 knew
so we'll the absolutely maddening in
difference which she must be meeting
from the man at the othcr end Of the
wire, the phIegmatic assent TO her
dtatribe, the unalterable decision
which no words could affect. that I
was not surprised TO see her slam the
/ telephone down on the receiver, evil
IDENTIFY in the middle of a sentence from
her opponent.
| There's no use trying to talk to a
man who ought to ba in the asylum
for the feeble minded" she snapped.
| Il told you So" Dicky drawled, and
/ his mother was so exhausted that she
didn't reprove him. And now. may
ask. what in Sam Hill We're going 10
+ do2"
He looked at me, and I saw that in
a breath ne had shifted the entire re-
/
! -