The Holbrook news., 1922-04-21

| just gave his funny little shrug again.
 And it was kind of queer. when you come to think of it-abOut Mother, I mean, wasn't it?
 ONE MONTH LATER
 Well. I've been here another whole month. and it's growing nicer all the time. I just love it here. I love the sunshine everywhere. and the curtains ! up to let it in. And the flowers in the rooms, and the little fern-dish on the dining-room table, the books and mag azines just lying around ready to be picked up; Baby Lester laughing and singing all over the house, and love l " ladies and gentlemen fin the draw ing-room having music and tea and | little cakes when l come home from school in the afternoon. And I love it not to have to look up and watch and listen for fear Fathers coming in and I'll be making noise. And best | of all I love Mother with her dancing eyes and her laugh, and her just be- ing happy. with no going in and find ing her crying or looking long and fix edly at nothing and then turning to me with a great big sigh, and Well, dear?" that just makes you want to | go and cry because it's so hurt and heart-broken. Oh, I do just love it all,
 And Mother is happy, I'm sure she | is. Somebody is doing something for | her every moment-seemS so. They are so glad to get her back again. I know they are I heard two ladies talking one day, and they said they were. They called her Poor Madge," and Dear Madge," and they said 1t was shame that she should have had such wretched experience, and that thsy for one should try to do ev- erything they could to make her for get.
 And that's what they all seem to be trying to dO-to make her forget. There isn't a day goes by but that somebody sends flowers or books or candy. or invites her somewhere, or takes her to ride or to the theater, or comes to see her, so that Mother is in just one whirl of good times from morning till night. Why, she'd just have to forget. She doesn't have any time to remember. l think she Is for getting, too. Oh, of course she gets tired, and sometimes rainy days or twilights I find her On the sofa in her room not reading or anything, and her fs T times after they'd been having one of their incompatibility times. But I don't find her that way very often, and it doesn't last long. So l really think she is forgetting.
 About the prospective suitors-l found That prospective suitor" in story week ago, and just love it. It means you probably will want to marry her, you know. 1 use it all the time nOw--in ley mind-when I'm thinking about those gentlemen that come here (the unmarried ones). I forgot and used it out loud one day to Aunt Hattie; but I shant again. She said, "Mercyw and threw up her hands a:ld looked over 10 Grandpa the way she does nhen I've said something she thinks is perfectly awful.
 But l was firm and dignified-but very polite and pleasant-and I said that I didn't see why she should ac. like that, for of course they were pro- Spective suitors, the unmarried ones, anyway. and even some of the married ones, maybe, like Mir Harlow, for of course they could get divOrces, and
 'Marie!' interrupted Aunt Hattie then. before I could say another word, ar go on to explain that of course Mother couldn't be expected to stay unmarried always, though I was very sure she wouldn't get married again until it was perfectly proper and gen teel for her to take unto herself an, other husband.
 But Aunt Hattie wouldn't even listen And she threw up her hands and said. Marie" again with the emphasis on the last part of the name the way I simply loathe. And she told me never, never to let her hear me make such a speech as that again. And I said would be very careful not to. And you may be sure I shall. I don't want 10 % through scene like that again
 She told Mother about 1t, though, think. Anyhow. they were talking very husily together when they came into the library after dinner that night, and Mother looked sort of flushed and ralo ouua1 nd haps tue child does read too many novels, Hattie"
 And Aunt Hattie answered, "Of course she does '" Then she said some thing else which l didn't catch, only the words silly" and romantic" and ''pre-co-shus." q don't know what that last means, but l put it down the way it sounded, and I'm going to look it up)
 Then they turned and saw me, and they didn't say anything more. But the next morning the perfectly lovely story I was reading. that Theresa let me take, called ''The Hidden Secret" l couldn't find anywhere. And when I asked Mother if shed seen it, she said shed given it back to Theresa, and that I mustn't ask for it again. That I wasn't old enough yet to read such stories.
 There it is again! I'm not old enough. When will I be allowed to take my proper place in life? Echo answers when.
 Well, to resume and % on.
 What was I talking about? Oh, I know-the prospective suitors. (Aunt