The Glenwood post., 1922-08-24

"Quet, petite" said Ina. eyebrows
up She caught her lower lip in her
teeth.
"Well, SIR" said Dwight. "you
wouldn't think it to look at us, but
mother had her hands pretty full, bring
ing us up"
Into Dwight's face came another
look. 1t was always SO when he spoke
of this foster-mother who had taken
| these two boys and seen them through
the graded schools. This woman
| Dwight adored, and when he spoke of
her he became his inner self
eve must run upstate and see her
while you're here, Nln," he said.
To this Ninian gave casual assent.
: lacking his brothers really tender ar
dor.
Little" Dwight pursued, "little did
she think I'd settle down into a nice,
| quiet, married dentist and magistrate
in my town. And Min into-say, Mn,
what are you, anyway"
They laughed.
"That's the question:" said Ninian.
They laughed.
Maybe" Ina ventured, maybe
Ninlan will tell us something about his
travels. He is quite traveller, you
know" she said to the Plows. "a reg
ular Gulliver."
They laughed respectfully.
"How we should love 1t. Mr.. Dea-
con-" Mrs. Plow said "You know
we've never seen very much"
Goaded on, Ninian launched upon
his foreign countries as he had seen
them: Population, exports, imports,
soil, irrigation, business. For the pop
ulations Ninian had no respect. Crops
could not touch ours. Soil mighty poor
pickings. And the business-say! |!
Those fellows don't know-and, say,
the hotels! Don't say foreign hotel to
Ninian.
He regarded all the alien earth as
barbarian, and he stoned it. He was
equipped for absolutely no intensive
| observation. His contacts were negli-
gible. Mrs. Plow was more excited by
the Deacons' party than Ninian had
been wrought upon by all his voyag
ing.
Tell you" said Dwight. "When we
ran away that time and went to the
state fair, little did we think" He
told about running away to the state
fair 81 thought" he wound up, ir-
relevantly. "Ina and l might get over
to the other side this year, but l guess
not. l guess not"
The words give no conception of
their effect, spoken thus. For there in
Warbleton these words are not COM
monplace. In Warbleton, Europe Is
never so casually spoken of. Take a
trip abroad" is the phrase, or "Go to
Europe" at the very least, and both
with empressement Dwight had some
where noted and deliberately picked
up that "Other side" effect, and his
Ina knew this, and was proud. Her
covert glance about pensively covered
her soft triumph.
Mrs. Bett, her arm still circlIng the
child Monona, now made her first OBJ
, servation.
"Pity not to have went while the
going was good" she said, and said
no more.
Nobody knew quite what she meant,
| and everybody hoped for the best. But
Ina frowned. Mamma did these things
occasionally when there was company,
and she dared. She never sauced
Dwight in private. And 1t wasn't fair,
| 1t wasn't fair
/ Abruptly Ninian rose and left the
room.
The dishes were washed. Lulu had
washed them at breakneck speed-she
could not, or would not, have told why
But no sooner were they finished and
set away than Lulu had been attacked
by an unconquerable inhibition. And
instead of going to the parlor, she sat
down by the kitchen window. She was
In her chally gown, with her cameo
pin and her string of coral.
Laughter from the parlor mingled
with the laughter of Di and Jenny up
stairs Lulu was now rather shy Of
Di. A night or two before. coming
home with extra" cream. she had
gone round to the side door and had
come full upon Di and Bobby, seated
on the steps. And Di was saying:
"Well. If marry you, you've simply
got to be great man. / could never
marry just anybody. I'd smother"
Lulu had heard, stricken. She
passed them by responding only faint
ly to their greeting. ID was far less
taken aback than Lulu.
Later Di had said to Lulu: ~ s'pose
you heard what we were saying"
Lulu. much shaken. had withdrawn
from the whole matter by fiat mo-"
Because" she said to herself. II
couldn't have heard right"
But since then she had looked Mt Di
as II Di were some one else. Had not
Lulu taught her to make buttonhOles
and to hem-oh. no! Lulu could not
have heard properly.