The Washington herald., 1922-03-24
Mama Turns Flapper
Pressing Problem of sWhat to Do With
Our Mothers?" Overwhelms
Their Sedate Progeny.
ny cosMo HAMILTON.

Raymond B. Hayersack. pslpably
highhrow and Harvard, and his 1s-
year-old sister Amy, admirably
eountrified and unspotted Of New
York were rocking on the piazza.
Their chairs were placed to catch
the thin October sun which fell
upon a ''sweetly pretty house" on
the outskirts OF a charming Long
Island community. This, tucked
away behind a screen of trees, which
hid IL from the almost incessant
traffic of the turnpike road, was
what their mother. Mrs. George Ha-
yersacky described as her ''ownest
little rabbit warren" and 1t was
called. and neatly called. Spekewells.
The whole thing spoke so eloquent
ly. II was, indeed. unable to keep
silence. All the village knew its
story.
Raymond had been through Har-
ward for nearly a year. He had
not merely done extremely well;
he had done brilliantly. As a re-
taxation from work he had run a
celebrated weekly undergraduate
paper, heavier than the New Re-
public. more thoroughly querulous
written the leading articles. the
book criticisms, and eventually all
the correspondence. Also he had
been president OF the political
league in his third year. and had in
troduced G. X. Chesterton to one
Of Its meetings. at which the great
paradox merchant had delivered an
address Enthusiastically entitled
Politics and Honor" to the great
Joy Of all present.
Mother Had Left.
Now, the distinguished young
man had not met his mother for
ave years. His vacations had been
devoted to European travel in order
THAT he might place wreaths upon
the graves of all his foreign an
cestors- II happened that sister
Amy had been away from home
for the same number of years. going
from school TO school. Her mothers
theory had been that children. and
especially girls, warped in the at
mosphere of maternal influence.
Brother and sister had met by ap-
pointment in the Haversack town
house In Washington Square. in or
der to make their mothers ac-
Quafntance. George Haversaok,
the father. was dead-or rather he
had buried himself on one of the
N,ine islands. growing corn and
r#l-'Es' lg poison ivy. He was a
SAD Cr-s
Fndins' that their mother had left
New York for the weekend, they
had spcnt an exciting Saturday in
= 50
'f'Iom' and the evening perform
srse o. The White-Headed Boy"
ana had taken the Sunday morning
train 10 Long Island to find mother
and lunch. Raymond had read an
act or two Of Back to Methuselah"
% Amy on the way, to her unspeak-
t''s delight. She had never really
-'nderrtood George Bernard Shaw
before. She had hitherto looked
upon him as a mere humorous per-
son and not as a prophet.
Visions of Accident.
Mrs. Haversack was motoring when
they arrived in loose-wheeled taxi
cab; and so they had taken pos
session of The rockers. They made
no condolences. They hid their very
natural feelings Of fiIiaI emo
tion behind apt quotations from 10
sen. Raymond looked to find"
beautiful, mature woman, serenely
autumnal. and exquisitely gray, who
would place a pale, TRANSPARENT
hand upon his sloping shoulder and
whisper brokenly, My son, nv
Raymond. my genius" and the
shock he received at finding an
Elinor Glyn novel on the floor was
dissipated when he remembered that
personal maids are human. They
were informed by the Indifferent
help that lunch was at half mast
ene. At half past two hunger made
them anxious: and distressing
visions Of an accident, restless. At
last the shrek OF anemaI in great
mental agony announced the arrival
OF a lobster-colored Stutz, and they
buried, almost youngly, to the en-
trance. From the top step they saw
a flapper. with golden bobbed hair,
short skirt, and bare knees. leap
from the car. She was followed by a
short. gfrlishly-dressed boy, with
overriding hair and a belted coat.
whom she kissed under the callous
eyes Of an Irish chauffeur.
Mother and Tee-Tee.
What is this. il you please?'
asked Raymond. with arching eye
brows. Surely this typical child
Of an exhausted civilizat ation has
come TO the wrong--
The iapper wheeler around. Amy
let out a cry. 'It's-it's mother!'
Raymond was surprised into a
platitude. in Greek. The little,
jaunty. aromatic person saw the
two pale. pedantic faces, gave a
melodramatic start and sprans up
the steps. flamboyantly. "Tee-Tee,"
she cried, look at my darling
babies.'
Tee-Tee giggled and twined him
self into a self-conscious knot. Mrs.
Hayersack. the flapper. sprang into
Raymond's arms, with a burst of
nursery language. "Hassum tum TO
see its icckle muRsey. den? Oh,
Honey-soy, how tall and grave and