Iron County register., 1922-09-28

IL was the hlgh-pitched, reproVlng
voice of Alice, the youngest of the
three sisters. Peter in question had
come home to enjoy the leisure of a.
Saturday half-holiday. A new book,
a magazine or two, a pipe and a
ehaise Tongue on the awning-sheltered
terrace had left Peter feeling the con-
tent of a mild summer afternoon.
Alice's reproving "Peter, Peter" was
the cloud floating by ON the cloudless
sky. For, ever since Peter had been
brought up as the youngest child in
a household of three older sisters, he
had become accustomed to having all
his seedlings and reproying begin with
just these two words.
There was never any mistaking
about the nature of the comments to
follow, so Peter said: "Well, what's
the matter? What have l done to
displeaSe your majestyT' Alice was
only year older than Peter and he
especially objected to her reproofs.
"Peter, DEAR" she said, taking a
seat near his. Il saw you downtown
this noon, and Peter, Peter-there
was a hole in your stocking. I was
walking behind you and honestly l
saw the hole first and wondered what
sort of man could be so careless, and
then / realized that it was our darling
Peter"
Thanks" said Peter. 'Tll change
'em before dinner" He began read
ing furiously and Alice moved into
the background of the garden beyond.
Half an hour before dinner Peter
went to his room to freshen up, and
a good fifteen minutes of that time
was spent searching through bureau
drawers in search of pair of hole
less socks. At length he found a pair,
zone solitary pair among fifty pairs or
SO that were more or less unsound.
II can manage to wear these to-
morrow and Monday" reflected Peter,
"and I'll get one of the girls to mend
some up on Monday"
So Monday morning he approached
the Fmiddle sister, Janet.
'If you haven't anything else to do,
some time today" he began with what
he thought considerable diplomacy,
''you might mend a few of the best
of the socks I've laid out on my bed.
I've such a skad of them that I don't
like the idea of buying any more, so
if you haven't anything else to do"
Janet interrupted:
Peter Peter" she began in dulcet
but reproving tones. "That's just like
a man. He assumes because a woman
has no regular business that she
hasn't anything to do. I can assure
YOU that when I marry Tom he'll have
to look at things from a different
angle. Really, it is so ridiculous.
Men spend fortunes educating and
cultivating women. They send them
to college, have their voices trained,
have them learn all the arts and all
the graces and then they say: Since
you haven't anything else to do,
please darn my socks Really, Peter,
/ don't want to be disagreeable. It's
the principle of the thing. When I
want my automobile painted or re-
tired I don't get you to do it. I take
1T to a garage, because I know you
have something else to do. I don't
even darn my own stockings and I
don't intend to darn Toms, so / don't
see why should take on yours"
Peter excused himself from the
feminine circle of sisters a little early.
In his own sitting room he unwrapped
a small parcel containing darning cot
ton and silk, large thimble and a
paper of needles. The girl at the no
tion counter of a department store
had told him that this was the neces-
sary paraphernalia. Then he sat
erect and uncomfortable by the side of
his reading table and tried to master
the art of darning, assuring himself
that there was no use in discarding
fifty pairs of socks just because each
pair needed very little darning.
There was rap on his door. But
before Peter had time to gather his
mending equipment together sister
Maud had come in.
Peter, Peter" said Maud, scorn
in her voice and in her eyes. II can't
Imagine brother of mine doing any,
thing like that. I thought you were
a regular man, but see you aren't.
4 hope that you don't tell our friends
that you have to mend your own
stockings |"
Peter gathered the socks and the
mending things together with hang
dog look and then asked his sister to
take seat. But Maud did not. She
had been too seriously shocked.
The next Saturday afternoon Peter
made neat package containing ten
or fifteen pairs of socks and Jared
forth. He was going to try and find
some oldish person who would be
willing to darn socks If well paid.
He had no idea where he was going
to find one. He started thinking so
an inspiration might come But be-
fore anything like an inspiration had
come he spied his three sisters COM
ing up the street. No street to turn
down lay between him and the trio.
One Of them, probably Janet, true
daughter Of Eve, was sure to ask him
what was in the package. Peter
tIaal-a1 ahot.t <c, co.x.~,..,Io..