The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-10-13
Today's Short
ii Story
Mans Food.
Copyrigft 1924. BY NJ. e. Bertram.l

table iii the SOFT glow OF rose snhueu
lamp. If only things would be all
right! They were not The steak
was uncutably tough the potatoes
burned to acridity, the biscuits heavy,
the bread pudding a solid mass, the eof-
fee a thin, yellow stream. The only
edible dish was the canned peas. What
Charley thought Of the meal Sue soon
knew-all of the neighbors might have
known, too, had they listened, for
Charley's voice correspondent to his big
body.
This was the third night. in success
sion that he had ranted. Last night
because Sue had picked up the supper
at the delicatessen. He wanted home
cooking. The night before because Sue
did not get home until late and had
served him bread and milk. He wanted
mans food!
Refusing an invitation from Doris
to 60 to a matinee, Sue had started
this meal Mt g o'clock and worked over
it until she was flushed and nervous.
Now, this =
Sue was slight, with crinkfy dark
hair, brown eyes and bright spots Of
color high up on i her cheeks. She
had been cherished girl before her
marriage, even though she had worked
in an office to buy herself pretty
things. But always there was Aunt
Susan at home to wash and press and
sew for her, and to get the silly little
meals they lived on. Sue always said
she would never marry, usually supple
menting it with If she did it would
be man who could afford to hire the
work done or to live at one. of. the pa
Initial hotels on the lake shore.
Then came Charley looking like q
Morse god. She forgot resolves. Moth
ing mattered except that she and
Charley could be together. She told
him that she and Aunt Susan had only
minced at cooking, woman fashion THAT
she didn't understand running a home /;
that she wasn't strong-for she was an
honest little Sue and wanted to meet
marriage squarely. But Charley swept
argument aside. Why, homework wasn't
anything to learn--looks ut the NUTS
that did it! Neither was cooking.
Shed get strong when she was out of
that office. Nothing mattered except
that they loved each other. Nothing
else did seem to matter then. So
they were married and other things
began to matter vitally--am0ng them
food.
I'm going out to get a mans feed"
doomed Charley on this particular even
ing. -
He went, noisy as to doors, and never
asking Sue to go, too! As though
she liked tough steak and burned po-
tetoesl And they were eating at home
because they couldn't afford to go out.
Next time she'd go to the matinee with
Doris--and she wouldn't stay here
alone now. She'd go away and maybe
she'd never come back.
An hour later she was at Aunt
Susan's, great suitcase weighing her
down as she rang the bell. In the
homely old sitting room with its en-
Iarged crayon portraits, horsehair furn-
iture and Brussels carpets with man.
moth red roscs-and Aunt Susan her
self, understanding. in her gray eyes,
so motherly in her comfortable ampli-
tude-there surged over Sue a wave
of inconsistencies for her counting days
for the Charley who had been such
"a lover. Who had anticipated her ev-
cry 'wish,P who could not bear her out
of his sight for a minute-that Charley
who was now gorging on his mans
food" while she was going hungry.
Before she quite realised 1t she was
resting on Aunt Susan's lavender silk
bosom, and the dignity she had deter
mined to maintain was dissolved in n
flood of tears and body-wracking sobs.
Incoherently her story tumbled out.
"But Charley isn't a cross man "
demonstrated Aunt Susan. EVERY one
is cranky once in while, but all the
time--that isn't Charley"
Nearly all the time!" sobbed Sue.
''He treats me as though we'd been
married for ten years instead of ten
months"
Aunt Susan concealed smile, for
Sue meant to be anything but funny.
"What did Charley have for break
fast today?" -,..t
Bread and coffee--I didn't get up"
"And yesterday"
"a roll--I didn't"
"And for dinnerY. 81
Back through the days went Aunt
Susan relentlessly. STARVED for a
mansize meall' she exclaimed. "You
wouldn't expect the furnace to run on
a bit of paper and few sticks, would
you? And you wouldn't expect to go
far in the carton dribble Of gasoline,
would you? Yet you've been expecting
Charley to run that great body of
his and do a mans work and keep
sweet under the strain on a little pif-
fling food. such as you and / used to
live on. If only I'd been n decent cook
might have married-there, was boy
l liked used to come to see me, and !
gave him-but what do you care for my
old love affairs? It's you and Charley.
l tell you, Sue, you have got to learn to
cook food for a man. can't show you,
but we'll take the midnight train to
your Aunt Dolores. She's the prize
cook in seven counties. Well stay there
till you've learned to cook real meals.
"But Charley" began Sue.
'You were leaving him, wern't you
OF course that was only bluff to your
self, but I'm going to call it."
As she spoke Aunt Susan walked
to the telephone and Sue heard her give
Charley's number. Yes, he was there.
and Indignantly demonstrating. Sue
could tell from Aunt Susan's end of
the conversation.
"II--I'l go home if he wants me
to-" quavered Sue.
"No, you don'tv' said Aunt Susan
firmly. This thing is going to be
thrashed out to a finish right now You
can't cook any better than you could
at 4 o'clock this afternoon. You'd
4 - 4. L.. 4.