The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-02-13
Umbrellas
to Mend
BY JANE OSBORN
+~~~~~>~~~~~~
"a. 1924 by MccIura A-.....-

W. ~~--' - <-NC'3ic -NcNbpdper syndicate.
When Grace True came home from
college on her first winter vacation sh,
was eager above all else to tell he,
brother Bob all about the girls she hat
met In college. To eighteen-year-olt
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 50
long as Bob continued to carry on the
Brompton Lumber Mills, a legacy, and
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-Pm sure you'd love
her. If 1t 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
ful, only she's violent feminist"
Skip her." said Bob, very amused
at his sisters earnestness. II never
could abide feminists. Does she smoke
a pipe?'
Don't be ridiculous" pouted Grace.
ut isn't what she does-it's what she
thinks, that makes her a 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
1rettiest eyes with long lashes and"
"Skip her, skip her." ordered Bob. |
She doesn't appeal to me one little |
Dit. What have you got to offer in
he way of nice little anti-feminist |
hat is specializing in domestic science
md cookingT
There's Betty-but she's not half |
10 pretty as Theodore" And from
here the conversation proceeded to
Betty.
Grace brought Betty home for the
Caster holidays, but Bob was no more
Inclined to fall in love with her than
he was inclined to fall in love with
i'm. At the beginning of the summer
acation Grace, feeling disappointed in
er brothers lack of enthusiasm con-
erning any of the class beauties
HON she had described, went off for
month of visiting among her class
lates. Bob continued to live in
rompton in the rambling old house
haired with two younger brothers, a
ousekeeper and a few hired men.
1t was at breakfast one morning
lille Bob was eating his porridge and
-eam that the housekeeper came in
it'll an expression of distraction on
er usually placid face.
81 never worked in a place like
she announced. mo mo-
es. no fish market, no nothing, and
)body ever comes here-not even the
u men and scissors grinders. You'd
least think scissors grinder might
ISIS by sometimes"
Bob assured the housekeeper that
she wanted any scissors or knives ,
larpened he would gladly take them
the works to have one of the men
ere put them in good condition.
ITS my umbrella l want mended,"
lnounced the housekeeper Scissors
inders usually mend umbrellas, too. ,
1t now I'll have to throw away that
nbrella just because no one comes ,
ong to mend it,
Bob carried the memory of that
nyersation in the back of his mind,
that two or three days later when
beheld dusty-looking figure in t
Their shabby knickerbockers trudg-
q along the street, pushing an UNI
ella members outfit, he stopped.
"Umbrellas to mend" came rather
and squeaky tremulo.
Umbrellas to mend-scissors to u
ind"
Hi, there" the way Bob ad n
essed the itine umbrella member n n
-