The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-05-14
Umbrellas
to Mend
4~~~~~>-~~~~~~
90. 1924. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicatel
By JANE OSBORN

was eager above all else to tell her
brother Bob all about the girls she had
met In college. To eighteen-year-old
Grace, Bob, who was all of twenty
four, seemed like middle-aged man of
the world. But he had never cared
much about girls. That had been the
cause of some anxiety to Grace and,
secretly, 1t was the motive for her de-
cision to go to college.
Brompton had no really pretty girls,
no girls, so Grace thought, half good
enough for her brother Bob. And so
long as Bob continued to carry on the
Brompton Lumber Mills. legacy, and
a goodly one, from his father, there
seemed little chance Of their going
into a locality that offered a wider
selection of feminine loneliness. So
Grace had decided to go to college to
find an appropriate wife for Bob. From
Grace's remarks one would have gath
cred that there were no less than fifty
raving beauties in her class Of two
hundred and that Of this number at
least twelve were so transcendently
fair that to decide the fairest would be
impossible.
Then there is Daisy" Grace was
saying. "She has perfect classic fea-
lures, only her nose is quite decidedly
pug. But you get used to that, and
she has a marvellous complexion, ex-
cepting for freckles. And there is Ann
she is so pretty-Im sure you'd love
her. If it weren't for the funny way
she does her hair and her spectacles
and the queer clothes she has to wear,
she'd be-well, just the prettiest thing.
And there's Theodora-she's wonder
full, only she's violent feminist"
Skip her." said Bob, very amused
at his sisters earnestness. II never
could abide feminists. Does she smoke
piper
Don't be ridiculous" pouted Grace.
ut isn't what she does-it's what she
thinks, that makes her feminist. But
the trouble Is, as she often says. she
was born just generation or two too
late. Isn't it dreadful that the suf
frage amendment was passed before
she ever had a chance to helpl Just
think what an opportunity there would
have been for her. She would have
been a second Susan B. Anthony-only
now they've up and gone and given the
women the vote, and it has really
spoiled Theodora's prospects. Still,
she says she's going to do something
yet. She says that there are still
plenty of things women can do in the
cause of feminism if they just look
around and try to discover them. She's
so full Of enthusiasm and she has the
prettiest eyes with long lashes and"
"Skip her, skip her." ordered Bob
she doesn't appeal to me one little
bit. What have you got to offer in
the way Of a nice little anti-feminist |
hat is specializing in domestic science
and cooking?"
so pretty as Theodore" And from |
here the conversation proceeded to
Betty.
Grace brought Betty home for the
Easter holidays, but Bob was no more
Inclined to fall in love with her than
,he was inclined to fall in love with
him. At the beginning of the summer
-acation Grace, feeling disappointed in
Ter brothers lack Of enthusiasm con-
erning any of the class beauties
whom she had described, went off for
month of visiting among her class
mates. Bob continued to live in
srompton in the rambling old house
haired with two younger brothers,
ousekeeper and few hired men.
1t was at breakfast one morning
yhiie Bob was eating his porridge and
ream that the hOusekeeper came in
18th an expression Of distraction on
er usually placid face.
II never worked in a place like
rompton," she announced. mo mo-
les, no fish market, no nothing, and
obody ever comes here-not even the
az men and scissors grinders. You'd
t least think a scissors grinder might
ass by sometimes"
Bob assured the housekeeper that
she wanted any scissors or knives
happened he would gladly take them
} the works to have one of the men ,
lere put them in good condition.
Its my umbrella l want mended,"
the housekeeper. Scissors
FINDERS usually mend umbrellas, too. ,
ut now I'll have to throw away that
just because no one comes
ong to mend it."
Bob carried the memory of that
in the back of his mind,
that two or three days later when
: beheld a dusty-looking figure in {
Ither shabby knickerbockers trudg
e along the street, pushing an UNI
ella members outfit, he stopped.
umbrellas to mend" came rather
gh-pitched and squeaky tremulo.
Umbrellas to mend-SciSSorS to
ind"
Hi there" was the way Bob ad
essed the itinerant umbrella member,
i'd it was not until he had caught up U
it'll said member that he first got the II
lDression that there was something
Their odd about the figure of the
andor If was cuch a SIipbt LITTLE