The Glenwood post., 1924-03-06

yelled out the chorus Of the "Cruis-
keen Bawn"; or negro. There
never was anybody who could sing
"spirituals" like Uncle Charles. oh.
they were great concerts, we'll never
forget
And what was Aunt Emily doing all
this time? You know as well as do
what Aunt Emily was doing. She was
rising like a rocket through every
plane Of the management of Emery's
Emporium. She was passionately in.
terested In her work, because she
could use 1t to serve her ambition; |;
and because she was passionately in
terested In it. she mastered 1t, and
owned it, and put 1t in her pocket.
Everybody in that line of business in
that part of the country soon knew
her; she was hail-fellow-well-met with
all the travelling men, who liked her
bluff manners and sharp tongue,
feared her piercing eye, and respected
her capacity always to get the better
of them.
She was detested but admirably
served by the staff of the store, who
were bewildered by her really inhu-
man capacity for endless exactitude
of detail, angry at the everlasting high
tension of her demands, but placated
by the growing fame of the store and
by her instant recognition Of business
ability in subordinate. Business
ability" How Aunt Emily adored
it! What starved, wolflIke appetite
she had for all that 1t stood for How
intensely she lived in her new lifei
Before long she had developed Il
new line, advertising (this was before
the modern science of advertising was
dreamed of) and while I dare say it
would be an exaggeration to claim
that she was the first to expand the
present principles Of psychological ad-
vertising, I know good many people
who think she came very near doing
so. Merchants from other cities came
to see her window displays, and talked
with her about advertising. Aunt
Emily, who never did anything for
nothing, soon saw that she had a mar
ketable product there, and proceeded
to put 1t on the market. She organ
ized what I'm sure was the first ad-
vertising agency, and ran it in odd mo-
ments of her busy days.
She was up and off to work early
reading the morning paper as she ate
breakfast, which Uncle Charles had
seen to. Then they saw her no more
till night, when she came home walk
ing strongly in the door, looking very
distinguished and chic In the beauti-
fully cut tailor suits Of the best mate
rial that money could buy
I'M speaking now, of course, Of the
times after that difficult beginning
That period lasted, after all. only till
she could get her bearings in the new
more money than Uncle Charles
had ever dreamed of making. By
the time Uncle Charles was around
on crutches, there was good
competent girl in the kitchen. This
left Uncle Charles more time and
strength to give to the children, more
leisure to perfect his own music, and
more energy to plan the thousand in
genious variations, on the theme Of
domestic life which made their home
the most delightful one to visit in, you
can imagine.
Aunt Emily fitted in it all very COM
fortably. She was always agreeably
tired by night, and relieved of her sur
plus energy, she was astonishingly
good-natured and easy to get along
with. There was plenty of money
these days, for competent help, which
Uncle Charles managed smoothly {;
there was plenty Of money for good
clothes, and good food, and nice china,
and pretty glassware, and fine linen,
all Of which Aunt Emily enjoyed with
hungry pleasure which was never
blunted by ceaseless repetition. She
was happy for the first time in her
life, Aunt Emily was, and although
she was by this time, middle-aged and
gray-haired, she was handsomer than
she had ever been tn youth. She grew
and grew In acumen and business abil-
ity, and rpened with experience, TIL
our small city was not big enough for
her. She SCARED on to New York,
carrying the family with her to an e1-
pensive apartment, and from there to
Paris, where they Lived for many
years. Aunt Emily being the Paris rep
resentative Of q great New York de-
partment store.
To the day Of his death Uncle
Charles always kept the children close
10 his heart, and directed their growth
just as lovingly and wisely a. ever.
Phoebe IN a profesaional nianist now
we'll known all over America and Bu-
rope. For years she was usually COM
panioned by her father. crutches and
all. Charlie u successful architect,
with a lovely French wife and two
babies. It was beautiful to see Uncle
Charles with his grandchildren
Bobby would certainly have gone
straight to the dogs. II he had not had
the most inspired handling at his ia
h-s