Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-28
BY TKfYRA :.SAllz,ER NZNSLOW


| the apartment. grandma Urged Walter
| to stay to dinner, her family would
be- glad to have him.: Walter was a
roflnd faced. good-natured looking fell
| low of 80 or. so, with small eyes. a
| wide, rather empty smile and "a weak
chin Grandma found out on the
| walk home that he had. a small; but
| dependable, mercantile position. 1t
twas not splendid opportunity. but
! quite as good as. Isabel might expect;
better. perhaps. than Isabel expected.
Isabel had shown no great longings
| for matrimony. Lacking personality,
/ she lacked the need of attraction as
| we'll.
Grandma. Martin did what she
| could to invest Isabel with charm.
| All the, way home. she talked about
| her, preparing Walter for a favor
! able impressions: She flattered Wal
! ter. in her old-fashfoned gentle way.
on arriving hong, grandma went into
| the kitchen and told Mary, her
| daughter.in law, who was preparing
the meal, about the guest she had
brought home. what a nice woman
! Matters mother was and Walter
| seemed "a fine fellow, too. Something
) might come of it. Mary had hoped
that babel would be popular. even
4 nldfEleu DE HOW. W ulle piclcHuiHto
great Indifference to grandnla's hints.
she opened some of her own canned
I.peaehes,' special treat, and prepared
salad of timed fish.
Dinner at the Martins was usually
.of the simplest Grandma and. Mary
| put the dishes on the table, and David
| served. Ralph rather spoiled and
| petted and of a snarly and, morose
disposition, ..was .alwayS served first.
| Then came TsabeiS portion, and then
her mothers was Fadled out: After
! that Cfime grandma plateful,. and
then David served himself: David was
not specially selfish. about food, but
! Mary was economical about the guam
! titles she prepared. and when not
| quite enough for two heipings re-
manned at the end. grandma's portions
suffered perhaps a. tritle more than
Martins own.
when there was a dinner guest the
usual custom of serving was varied,
land there was usually a little more to
ear. Instead Of eating almost in 81
| lence, broken only by few COM
plants from; Ralph, a whine from
Isabel, "a staccato senteuce or two
from. Mary, a few comments on the
weather or Observation-Disclosures was al
ways dltlL-from David, the family
tried to break out into a general con-
versation, touching lightly on topics
of the day. The first night that Wal
ter dined With the family. grandma
tried with great eagerness to create
a spirit of gayety quite at variance
with the usual behavior of the family.
1t meant a lot to the Whole family, to
her, this visit
From the first Walter seemed fair
r. Interested. After dinner Ralph put
some records on the photograph, and
isabel. usually silent, expa hded enough
10 add stray remarks to the CONVEX
sation.
The next week grandma called on
Walters mother; it was quite all
right Of course. as she lived only a
few blocks. away: Grandma found out
that Walter had two brothers and
that his: mother did not object to his
managing. Walter came home While
grandma was there..grandnia had
straved. from her usual custom of
hurrying home early-and escorted
grandma home again and, stayed. TO
dinner Grandma and David .flattered
Walter, Ralph listened respectfully
TO his opinions, %Hd Isabeis silence
made her seem just please ntly shy. A
week later grandma telephoned over
to Mrs. Reynolds for an embroidery
pattern that she Thought Mrs. Rey-
nolds had, and Walter brought it over
that evening. Grandma prepared lisa
bel for the visit as we'll as she could
Isabel did not like advice from an. old