Shoshone journal., 1923-06-15


Ihe hrst time / ever heard the
threadbare saying about a square peg
In round hole, was when my father
used 1t In an attempt to excuse Aunt
Emily. Up to that time | had never
heard anyone say anything of her ex-
cept mat she was a detestable woman
with the most Internal capacity for be-
ing perfectly wretched herself and
making everybody else So What
nome she made for poor mild Uncle
Charlie, and for their tbre, nervous
scrawny, rabbit-faced children!
You are not to think she neglected
her nome or her children. Indeed no !
She house-kept with fanatlcal COM
petence and expended on the up-brlng-
ing OF her children an extravagant
energy which filed the house to its
remotest corner, as a sawmiIl Is filed
by the strident energy of the saw
Never were three children so brought |
up as my poor little cousins. Aunt
Emily was determined that she should |
10 her whole duty by them, that they |
should be perfect, and do everything |
exactly right OF course she knew
much better than they what was right
and hence had never an instant Of re,
pose from her labor of pushing and
'hoving them into the way they should
70.
On, now we hated to be sent on an
'rrand to Aunt Emilys house. snare
'ou the description Of what meal at
lunt Emily's table was. with Aunt
1niiy teaching the children table man.
ers' There are plenty of intolerable
hings In real life. without dragging
nto a story what happened when !
'ncie Charles spilled gravy on clean
lblecloth.
iou notice. perhaps, that l say. "at
unt Emlly's table," and not "at Uncle
harles' y; and that sets me at mn.
-her angle Of their home life: what
lat nome life meant to Aunt EmIly's
ispand. He was what is known in =
herica as man with no head for
isihess, and yet there had never :
zen anything but business In his life .
had been a handsome, dreamy. L
ed. musical-minded young account u
( In Emery's Emporium when Aunt =
MY very young herself, had mar ~
"a MIN married him, apparently for &c
same reason that he was I'm bnsi-
ss' because there seemed to be moth
else to do. But Uncle Charles was ne
money-maker, and imprisoned I'm 81
huihg round OF petty economies and 10
escapable shahblness, how Apnt ne
lily ate her heart out, and what a co
Uncle Charles led But nor even he
Mt Emily's terrible energy could put We
her husbands gentle, artistic. un. ni'
soul. a single gust OF the IRA
my ambition which blew like tor. We
10 In her harried heart. Uncle ,h'
irles hated all business desperate. In
and found the only pleasure in his eh
In his children. br'
y mother always said thar those - -.
e Burton children would certainly ~
have wasted away. n It had not ma
for their futher at this time. He rn,
as great a gift for calming and ,e..
ring them as their mother had for =
ping the very life our OF them p,,
never Aunt Emily was away from hs,
? Tor few hours. and Uncle h1m
lee Was there Nifh the children ,ya.
good time they had Ia those and
hours ~ respite, nnele Charles i.
q easy chair. ths Children nilea ~
'p ~ him, be arms around tham ''N'
while ihey bad what ihe, called /"
isli' tbs weanl chatter of /"
voices bildllke nnd froe. which ~"
tpiig pea never hnard in hnr =.
Nf perhaps they'd al sing ~ ~
y tqf ihfl Asa lnhsrlied lnoe ,'.,
'rs wa ior music ~
pr hHa oiil lad ume nr anla XIII.
f'f'p piano NM1ns M Hll iDe u...l
iN iV Neaf mp h0 nad po ...o
if'flN lH HnAl aernuN hfnIa sm
''l li'H NN NNfl i0 nai um
if mNHlf itNlNl lIHa HIal
H mNNil lo1NH IN ln. mul
IA H'N a4'l l'.N $40 ~ II u|