The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-06-15
THE STRAW
(By Susan Ellen Dodge)

of-Heaven l am going to serve"
No answer. Robert Warren, beinj
an enthusiastic baseball fan, wa
deep in the sporting page and mile
away from the back porch Of his sub
urban home. In fact, he was mental.
cheering Babe Ruth on final hom'
run when his better half reused hin
from his reverie by appearing, iratel!
at the door,
my dear Robert" she said wither
ingly, you might take your nose ou
of the paper long enough to be use
full as well as ornamental. Unless
very much mistake, this supper is fo'
your benefit, to further your business
interests and the very least you car
do is to lend an occasional hand.
When his wife called him Robert
in that flat tone words were always
futile. In fact, they were usualiy
provocative of anger, so Warren, VINO
had been married ten years, and
musical comedies to the contrary, MAD
never really regretted it, smiled DIS
armingly and bent to his task.
INV dear ILL.," he remarked, 1T
seems to me I spend the biggest tnlrd
of my summer chopping ice Tor our
drinking water or for salads or des-
serts. Why can't the blame tnlng
chop itself?" Warren was big anu
fat. and like most fat men, inordinate-
" good natured. 1t took good deal
"a rnff1e his usually calm disposition
Not so Lii, his wife, who though real
ly warm-hearted, was outwardiy
veritable spitfire.
THAT ice-box," she remarked caus-
tically, "is the bane Of my existence.
Warren went on chopping, ana
wisely held his peace. Having filled
glass bowl with fine shavings, ne
looked inquiringly at LII for furtner
instructions, and, receiving none, am
bled back to his precious paper 80
far this season the Yanks had MADE
but a poor showing. Now If his opln-
ion had been asked
Robert" came again from the Kit
chen.
"What is 1t now, Liz?
you'll have to come and empty the
pan under the ice-box It's leaking all
over the place!"
"Oh, all right" For once, CHEEKY
Robert was put out. Why couldn't ne
he left to read the baseball news IN
peace? During mans one day az
home, at that, there were always
score of petty tasks to take his time
and attention. AS he started to rise
from his chair, a headline caught his
eve. sUnconsciousIy he read down the
column.
At that moment, his youngest, =
child of five, wandered aimlessly in
To the kitchen. A severe thunder
shower had just cleared the air. Hall
an hour earlier the very heavens had
seemed to open and the yard held in
viting puddles for mischievious feet. |
But little Vera had been forbidden to |
go out in the yard until it was dry
and she felt aggrieved, for getting
her feet wet" was her particular idea
Of rapture. Her mother, busy in the
mysteries of cake making, paid no at
tention to her, as spying the over
flowing pan beneath the ice-box she
siddled over and began thrusting her
,eet, encased in smart new shoes into
the overwhelming puddle. Not con-
tent with this, upon discovering her
lamp shoes left lovely patterns upon
he linoleum, she walked in and out
If the wet trailing brown mess over
he recently carefully mopped kitchen
1oor. II
Just then Robert heard disconso-
ate wall, and flung aside his paper
o find both his wife and daughter in
ears.
IT declare, Robert" the former re- :
marked, accusingly, "it's the last
straw to have you neglect that ice {
,an! Now you see what Vera's done! d
and 1 mopped this floor only a half {
Jour ago! declare I'll pitch that Ice c
,ox onto the wood pile. 1t gives me G
more trouble than all the rest of the a
put together" i
ooh, 1 am sorry, Lii" consoled
lob. "It's a darned shame after you'd
leaned up so nicely. Here, I'll sWab
ID for you this time" And he set 10
With a will. S
The back door banged just then, 4
nd their young hopeful of nine, Bob @
y, Jr., stood looking curiously on the u
Gene. There was a suspicious bulge a
q his cheek and one fist was tightly q
lenched as if hiding something prec- n
ous. C
Eating between meals?" demand q
d his mother. /. II
mo mother; just cooling off with n
,e cubes" e.
with what?" o.
Ice cubes" Junior repeated. "The N
ew folks down the block, the Thomp- II
ons, who've just moved in, use 'em o
n their table. Their ice box make, q
m" n
Junior" said his father, sternly, "
talk distinctly and talk sense"
well, 1 guess l know" Junior ar
rmed, with a superior sniff. Didn't
see them put pan Of water in their
.e-box-it was a funny an, too, all y,