The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-04-09

Old Town Changes


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"Why, Isabel" exclaimed the host
ess as she greeted the red-haired girl.
Aren't you back from the country
awfully early? You look rested and
refreshed of course, as Il you'd had a
regular vacation, but your stay was
short"
"Uh, huh," said Isabel. Maybe !
didn't get the common or garden va
riety Of Yacation-and that is no pun
on war gardening, either-but l feel,
pretty good. 1t was funny, too, every
thing considered.
"Of course, you know that I went
back to the old home town in order
to recuperate from an excess of wal
work during the winter. My hours
at the Red Cross tearoom and the
Sailors Club and the surgical dres-
sings were rather strenuous, to say
nothing of knitting every spare mi
mute. So / did not take an inch OF
wool with me, or a needle, and | pack
ed a lot OF awfully frivolous novels in
my cute little steamer trunk.
.Browntown, you know has only
about 500 people and most of them
are natives, so my chances foB relax
alton seemed very good, indeed, espe-
cially as had always pictured the old
town as peaceful and wen positively
somnolent, just as it always was, with
nothing more militant than the call OF
the turtle dove and the drone OF the
sawmill.
Il got the first shock the very in
slant | stepped off the train. A girl
with a box of ribbons came and pin
ned one on me. 1t was tag day for
some belligerent cause or other. When
/ got into the stage the woman next
me was knitting and she kept poking
me with her needles just as they do
on street cars. And every time the
bus jolted she dropped a stitch and
asked me to pick it up for her, be
cause she could not see very we'll.
when l got to my grandmother,s
place | founo that grandma had been
out wedding her ar g4rdsn and was
! SO fascinated that she had been late
to the train. My first dinner intro
duced me to a new kind of ~fiourless
bread and some vegetables that grew
where her marigolds used TO be.
well, l saw right away that a
change had come over Browntown. 1t
was busy. My lear ancestor actually
left my breakfast On the stove and
went to a canning bee, and little Gil
deon Grub, who lived next door,
woke me early by practicing bugie
calls on a tin trumpet. Goldie Grubbs
his sister, who used to spend most OF
her time hanging around the soda
fountain in Jones' drug store, was
learning s~tenography in order to en-
list as a yeowoman, and asked me
whether I'd mind debating to her for
and hour every day.
II think it was the first afternoon
that a representative of the Ladies
Aid came and asked me to talk to
them on war work that was being
done in the city, and the second day
the minister called and asked nay adj
vice about becoming al army chap
lain.
'Then old Aunty Bates, the one who
used to do such beautiful tatting,
couldn't wait to have. me teach her
how to knit twin socks. You see, they
thought / was sort of an authority on
war in general. Gideon Grubb even
wanted me to teach him military drill,
and his father asked me whether
there were any improved war time
methods for milking cows. The editor
of the weekly Trumpet wanted an
article from my pen and everybody
was awfully hospitable about asking
me to the Red Cross workroom and
knitting bees. Altogether it was very
restful!"
Perfectly grand!" said the sympa-
thetic hostess. "But / don't suppose
there is a place to rest nowadays
anywhere In the land unless it's q
s~anitarium. Why don't you try one,
Isabel?'
Il should say not" said Isabel.
They're probably the busiest places
on earth. They set me to knitting
socks as a soothing exercise for the
nerves! I'VE had enough vacation,
anyway. Besides. it did one good
thing for met gave me a lot more
enthusiasm
1T cheered me up to see the way
people in Browntown are working.
Why, just thinkf IF they're doing that
all over the country we're bound to
win the war! ! guess enthusiasm is
better than rest. anyway. Will you
hand me my knitting bag, Jane? l
think I'd better get to work again."
Not Musical.
A Western settler went to the near