The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-30

q ain't meanin' to complain. said Mrs. Meeker with apoloeetic plain I tiveness. sThe night your pas the
 hung in the balance, ss the sayin' is, l I made up my mind if the good Lord would only spare him I'd never com i plain about anything. But upon my word, Lorraine, now your pas feeiin' his oats again, as the sayin' IS, he's driyin' me pretty near crazy. And tho doctor says he can't go back to
 the store before the first of the year."
 -I suppose it is kind of hard to
 keep him occupied . said Lorraine with
 the careless sympathy of one who leaves home and all it's petty irritations early in the morning ehd does not come back until evening, "but now that he can sit up in bed all he likes II don't see why he can't amuse him self reading"
 Your pa don't like the books folks write nowadays" sighed her mother. "IIe says they're tommy rot from cover to cover"
 well, I don't know, what to sug-
 gest, I'm sure" Standing before the hatrack mirror in the front hall. Lorraine gave last dab of powder to her nose. clicked shut her vanity box, picked up her gloves and made happy escape to the downtown office where she was an efficient stenosrapher. A wave of young laughter floated down the stairs--a gay. "So long, dad--be good to yourself" chatter of
 hurrying feet on the uncarpeted stepa. Wait minute. Janie," her moth- CT called out, as hright-faced high school girl with an armful of books reached the lower hall. "On your way home want you to stop at Hyler's and have your pas prescription re- newed. III get the bottle"
 That morning the patient got on poor Annie Meeker's wornout nerves more than ever. Before, he had been exacting, impatient, rebellious general ly cAntankerous. But how he was ab- jectly Respondent.
 He was making no progress what ever, he declared. In fact, was stead 1 fly losing ground. The doctor knew 1t. but was trying to bolster him up with false hopes. All doctors were liars. With this cheerful preliminary he launched into detailed instructions as to what his wife was to do on his death, the kind of funeral he wanted, who were to be pallbearers. By the end of the morning Annie Meelrer had cried 90 much she was like a wet rag run through the wringer. Hello, dad, here's you med r sang out Janies bright voice at the climax of the sick-room's gloom. And zee what else I brought you from the drug store"
 What is it?' asked her father in an ash-color tone, as he listlessly took little pamphlet held out to him. Hairnets. The best ever, as their
 name Perfection implies"
 Jamie, how can you !" her mother
 took her to task. What interest can your poor father have in hairnets."
 "A $500 interest, maybe,n she laughed. That's the first prize, but there are others. For the best list of words built out of the letters in Perfection
 "Of all foolishness!" iscorned her But on her fathers melancholy face was. sudden little flare of light.
 'Perfection-P. Prunes, promoters. pigs, pyjamas, pretzels !" he rattled off
 Give me a pad and pencil. Pad and pencil !" he gleefully repeated Two
 Not so fast, dad,Y laughed Jamie.
 You can use only the letters that are in Perfection, and there's no g nor l nor 2.
 He looked little crestfallen, but the interest held. And for the re- mainder of the afternoon, as one word after another popped into. his mind, he scribbled delightfuly on bits of paper.