The Holbrook news., 1922-04-28

, OO FlnQ nun Iookin9 al Me SOmc-
 times, Just as If He Was Trying to
 Make Up Ills Mind About Something
 whether Mother had ever known hin
 before. And of course I told him right away that 1T was-the same one she was engaged 10 before she was en- gagged to him.
 grunted and said, yes, yes. he knew
 Then he said, That will do. Mary" And he began to read his book again. ! But he never turned a page. and it wasn't five minutes before he got up and walked around the room, picking out books from the bookcases and put ting them right back. Then he turned to me and asked with q kind of of | course-I I-don't-care air:
 Did you say you saw quite little ! of-this Harlow fellow:"
 But he did care. I know he did. He was Teal Interested. l could see that he was. And so I told him everything, all about how he came there to the , teas. and sent her flowers and candy. and was getting divorce himself, and | what he said on the sofa that day, and how Mother answered, As l said, 1 told him everything. only l was care | ful not to call MT. Harlow prospec | tive suitor. of course. I remembered too well what Aunt Hattie had said. Father didn't say anything when l l got through. lie just got up and left 1 the room. and pretty quick I saw him crossing the lawn to the observatory. I guess there aren't any prospective suitors here. 1 mean, 1 guess Father ! isn't a prospective suitor-anyhOw, not yet (Of course, it's the man that has to he suitor.) He doesn't go any where, only over to the college and out 10 the observatory. I've watched so to see. I wanted specially to know. for of course if he was being a pro- Spective SuitOr to any one, she'd be my new mother, maybe. And I'm gO- ing to be awfully particular about any new mother coming into the house.
 A whole lot more, even, depends on mothers than on fathers, you know; and if you're going to have one all ready-made thrust upon you, you are sort of anxious to know what kind she is. Some way, I don't think I'd like new mother even as well as I'd l&e new father; a.,d 1 don't believe rd like him very well.
 Of course. there are quite lot of ladies here that Father could have. There are several pretty teachers in the schools. and some nice unmarried ladies in the church. And there's Miss Parmelia Snow. She's Professor Shows sister. She wears glasses and is terribly learned. Maybe he would like her. But, Mercy! 1 shouldn't.
 Then there's Miss Grace Ann San born. She's fat, and awfully jolly. She comes here lot lately to see Aunt Jane. l don't know why They don't belong to the same church. or anything But she runs over" as she calls it, almost every afternoon just little before dinner-I mean supper.
 Mrs. Darling used to come then, too. when l first came; but she comes oyer evenings now more. Maybe it's because she doesn't like Miss Grace Ann. l dou't think she does like her. for every time she saH her, she'd say: "Oh. you? So you're here," and pretty quick she'd get up and go. And now she comes evenings. Shes fix ing over her house, and she runs and asks Aunt James advice about every little thing She asks Fathers, too, every chance she gets, when she sees him in the hall or on the front steps heard her tell Aunt Jane she consid ergd Professor Anderson a man of most excellent taste and judgment.
 suppose Mrs. Darling could be my new mother. She's a widow. Her hus- band died last year. She is very well off now that her husband is dead l heard Aunt Jane say one day. She meant well off in mOney-quite a lnt of it. you know. I thought she meant well off because he was lead and she didn't have to live with him any more, and 1 said so to Aunt Jane. Gle was a cross man, and very sterE as everybody knew) But, dear suz me. Aunt Jane was awfully shocked and said certainly nOt that she meant Mir. Darling had left his wife great deal of money.
 Then she talked very stern and sol emn to me, and said that l must not think just because my poor dear fa- ther's married life had ended in such q wretched tragedy that every other home had such skeleton in the