Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-06-22
CHAPTER vI-continued.
rwo DAYS AFTER THANKSGIVING

u
TWO DAYS AFTER THANKSGIVING
The violinist has got a rival. I'm
sure he has. It's Mr.. Easterbrook
Hes old-much as forty-and bald
headed and fat, and has got lots Of
money. And he's a very estimable
man. q 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
violinist is lots more thrilling, but ]
shouldn't wonder II 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 bit sitting in big chair be-
fore the fire with a pair of old slippers
on, If your feet were 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
n hn viz fr,ir sr
a 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, l guess there
isn't anything about Mr.. Easterbrook
that she doesn't notice.
Aunt Hattie likes Mr. Easterbrook
lots better than she does the violinist.
heard her talking to Mother one day.
ONE WEEK LATER
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 / guess 1t will be, all right.
Anyhow, know Mothers part will be,
for it's getting more and more excit-
ing-about Mr.. Easterbrook and the
violinist, l 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 takel It's Mr.. Easterbrook.
And he is awfully nice. He brought
me a perfectly beautiful bracelet the
other day-but Mother wouldn't let me
keep it. So he had to take 1t back.
don't think he liked it very well, and
didn't like it. either / 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 l 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
60 all the time. And she acts as if
she didn't care which she went with,
SO long as she was just going-some-
where. think, though, she really likes
the violinist the best; and / guess
Grandfather and Aunt Hattie think so,
too.
Something happened last night.
Grandfather began to talk at the din
ner table He'd heard something he
didn't like about the violinist. I 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-herei = 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 1t
was wicked, cruel shame to tell
stories like that just because they
didn't like 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
list now, either, any better than Grand,
father and Aunt Hattie. And it's not
entirely because of what happened last
1T ~. IA