Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
They Took Advantage of the Vacation
To Get Better Acquainted With Junior
EY NTNA WILCOX PUTNAM.

A s Old Mother Hubbard. the In
~ Ventor of the worst-looking
"A house dress in the world.
once said. The school com
mencement which enjoy
most is the one that comes in the
FAN"
And the ether day. when / and
George that's my husband. got to
thinking about how pretty soon
school would he opened again and ouis
d. fling Junior. darn his little hide-I
mean bless his little heart-would be
flushing his vacation and giving us
little peace around the house, why we
certainly agreed with Mother II.
Just before the other commence
ment, the one which comes in the
Spring. I and George both had been
simply crazy to have school over sos
we would see more OF our darling.
We got one Of them spells which
every set OF parents undoubtedly gets
them Of feeling we wasn't seeing
enough of our child We had the
wild idea we wasn't friendly enough
with him. that we should try and get
more chubby, find out what was really
going on in his mind. and guide his
tastes more than we had been dong.
In to date about the only taste OF
Juniors ] had been guiding was TO
say. Now. dear. YOU eat ND every
one # them boiled turnips this very
instant. or am going to lick you.
good
or else would say. Now. JUNO.
finish M the fat as well. you may
not like it but it's good for you, and
want YOU to learn to like every
thing" When as rule Junior
would spring one Of the awful, child
like comebacks which can pretty near
knock a parent for goal. such as,
But. Ma. you don't eat up the fat,
if lis 50 good why don't you eat it
up?" Which would leave me with
that las defense of any mother, ana
! would say. We'll, dear, I'm grown
up, that's why" And Junior Wou!u
look at me sort Of as if he greatly
doubted it. if / expected him 10 accept
thai 40 reason.
When it come to culture. why
George had taught him little cui-
ture hut it was mostly agriculture,
such as hoeing the front path. or now
to tell the weeds from the radishes.
Still neither OF us felt we had any
where's near done our duty by the
boy. we should make more of com
panion out of him. And the Summer
vacation would be the very time.
tell Won, Jennie says Geo. I'm
going to make "A regular chum out OF
Junior this Summer. I'm going TO
make "A man ont of him. I'm going to
teach him TO play golf. for one thing,
yes sir. I'm going to have him out on
the course every day, and treat him
like regular pal, an equal, make
herman of him, that's what.
What is even further. he says. I'm
going to have long talks with him,
and hikes into the woods, and all like
that. BY Jove, he won't ever be able
to say his father was stranger to
him! I'm going to lay off Furnishing
him and put him on his hOnor-just a
poor kid. WHY I've hardly seen him
except to lick him, all Winter.
WHY George dear, | says, that's just
w lovely. OF course even when he's
at school | see a whole lot more or
Junior then Won do. on account of his
ears, underwear and meals. But l
agree with YOU where the child ought
to be more than a mere something to
every so often.
There's the spiritual and artistic side
of his nature Music IL what he needs,
and books. | personally myself intend
reading all the classics aloud to him
this Summer. you know. Dickens ana
Thackerv and All them great authors.
I'd he mortified to death If he was TO
grow up in ignorance of them things,
| know my family was a very cul-
tured one we had Shakespeare and