Evening star., 1923-03-04


through life itself. on fiowery beds OF
ease Such a rara avis was Marcia
Mason Katherines nature was OF
sweet seriousness. Eleanor, although
merry hearted, was studtous. Marcia
was neither of these. If she was seri-
Gus. she concealed 1t admirably. Her
studying was usually very nasty
procedure. conducted on the way
down a corridor to her recitation
room. She had a fiour-sieve mind
warranted to hold great deal OF In
formation for at least twenty minutes
IT always volunteer during the first
part of the recitation while the go
inE's good" she brazenly told at
home, then ny silence isn't so con-
spicuous when the road gets rough"
Things seemed to come Marcias
way.
II was born under a lucky star"
she often told the family. And the
family almost believed it.
In appearance she was undentably
lovely, and. as one of her aunts said
"as likable as she was lookable." Nc
one could say she was lazy about the
house. She simply made a wise and
far-sighted choice of household tasks.
Soon after she had enthusiastically
offered to shell the peas. it became
apparent to the other girls that the
pea-shelling operation carried on un-
der the breeze-swept grape arbor was
greatly preferable to doing the dishes
in the hot kitchen or making count
less beds.
ssN GARCIA certainly has the happy
INl faculty of slipping through
life easy" mother would sometimes
say In evaporation to father.
We'll, mother. 1 don't know any one
In the family that makes more
friends" father would remind her.
Which brings us to Father and
Mother Moson's attitude toward and
about their children. For twenty-six
years they had argued over them, but
always when they were alone. To-
ward the children they presented
solid front If mother chose to re-
prove, father either assisted at the
ceremony or kept silent. And vice
versa 1t is a fine old policy. 1t has
Deon effective slHCc Tic udSS ~
Abraham and Sarah.
When they were alone, however,
they argued it out. And the strange
part is that neither one always took
the same side. If mother found fault
with some characteristic of her off,
spring, father Immediately made ex-
cuses for 1t. If father offered the
complaint. mother flew to her childs
defense like mother bear.
In this instance father was right
about Marcia's friends. Everybody
liked her the teachers and old peo-
pie and children. and Hod Beason,
who brought the coal, and Lizzie
Beadle, the town dressmaker.
When Marcia went away to school
1t was as though a great deal OF the
sunshine of the Mason home had gone
with her. When she returned for va
cations, everything and every one,
from the piano to Tillie, seemed to
brighten at her coming. After all, the
old world needs more of them-these
people who turn to joyousness as the
tides run to meet the moon.
Each time Marcia came home she
had new tales to tell. And father and
mother. who came to reprove, re-
manned to laugh.
Say, folks" she would begin, II
had to write a thesis on some form
of lower animal life for old Prof.
Briggs in zoology class, and what
know about zoology you could put In
spoon. So wrote about starf1sh-
sort of from the fiction standpoint
and they told me old Prof. Briggs
laughed till he nearly cried over the
joys and sorrows of that little echino
derm-I guess it's an echinoderm. /
got a grade Of excellent. and all l
know about a starfsh to this day is
that 1t has five points and wiggles."
You can't go through life sidestep
ping that way, my girl" father SER
monized after he had suppressed a
chuckle. "One of these days you'll
bump up against something mighty
serious and wish you'd applied your
self"
Don't preach. father Marcia
rubbed a pink and white cheek against
fathers graying hafr. when that
time comes I'll be like Sentimental
Tommy-Ill find a way" And soft
hearted old father hoped it was true.
Father and Mother Mason held the
sensible view that each of the girls
should take up some practical train
ing So Marcia chose a course in
special primary teaching for her
senior year
How'd you happen to choose pri-
mary?" Katherine wanted to know.
"Oh, primary hours are shortest of
all, and who wants to stay in a
schoolroom any longer than he has
toT' was Marcia's cheerful reply
who does?
During that senior year Marcia had
great many experiences to relate to
the family.
I'm October we taught those little
Comanches about squirrels and Co
iumbus and other adventurous gentle
men," she told the folks at Thanks
giving. primary teachers are awful
liars she stated blandly. Imagine
This whole month has been rainy,
and we've smiled our mail pri-
mary smiles and made those young
sters sing Pit-a-pat. see the lovely
raindrops. just because 1t was sup
posed to have mutual relation to the
disgusting elements
;, s-n spring vacation she summed up
her work with: I'VE had a perfect
orgy of cherry trees and hatchets and
valentines in February-and I wish
you could have seen the training g
school in March. We simply fell over
seed boxes and kites. and we fairly
ate pussywillows. This month we've