The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-09
TODAYS SHORT STORY

ing cooked just right, and loving pol ishes to the stove only showed more plainly the shortcomings of the rest of the room.
 Even Tom looked glumly about as he started for a day of threshing.
 Seems like we've let everything get terribly run down, Molly. In at Flet- cher's the other day noticed Mrs. Fletcher had all this aluminium stuff for pots and kettles. Her teakettle was like silver. If I have time when take the wheat in I'll go in Parrish's and get you one. My wife deserves as good as the best.p .s 1. Molly could hardly believe her ears. Tom. Tom offering to spend money on new tangled contraptions. The morning work almost did itself that day. Happy heart made swift hands. For the first time in years she heard the bird calls and saw the beau | tiful clearness of the sunshine.
 ''We've got to live up to you" laughed Molly as she flecked duster over the nickel trimming of the new range. Such "a dinner as we must have today, to celebrate your arrival, and such table as I'll set in your honor. Anna, get bunch of the pink asters-and put them on the table. No, not in that old tumbler-get the cutglass vase from the parlor mantel." :"
 Gee, mother, have we got com pany? Did somebody comeT
 Jack. grimy with play in the orchard, was all eager questions. Molly felt a trifle guilty. Had she let herself and her home go that far? Indeed, it was time to turn the lane. <4'
 No, sonny. Just ourselves. Don't you think we're pretty good company ? Aren't we somebodyY'
 The children listened in silence, but they listened. And Anna took pains to make herself neat before she came to the table, as well as whisper to Jack so determindedly that that young man hastened to scrub his face as well as hands before sitting down to his heaped plate of chicken and mashed potatoes.
 As for Tom, unconsciously he adopted the manners he used when there really was company, and actually said Please" when he wanter more bread Seeing daddy so polite naturally the children followed.
 They even did more, for while the dishes were being washed Anna forgot her usual quiet and chattered of the beauties of the Graham's new house.
 But ours would be nice, too, mother, if we fixed it up. And Nellie Graham says her mother makes curtains out of sugar sacks. They're just sweet when they're up. And could pot a pink geranium from the bed by the front gate. Can't I have that pile of clean sacks you have in the storeroom? I'll make them this afternoon and surprise daddy when he gets home tonight. I'll run and call Nellie, and she'll help -she can sew.
 Even Jack was interested in the cur tain making and stood around until Mollie laughingly asked him what was on his mind, anyway. t
 MT. King stopped at the gate a while ago and asked me if I'd help dig potatoes tomorrow-he's short of help. And he'll pay dandy. I just thought the money would get that new paper daddy didn't think he could afford for the kitchen and upstairs"
 Mollie felt a warm glow at her heart. Jackie Her little lad, giving up days of play and good times to make home brighter. As in a vision she saw the future stretching in sparkling vista with home cheery refuge from the world always. And she was sure it | would be refuge and homo for the