Washington telegraph., 1926-06-11


* Very young he knew it was diff
IL ferent some way from the lives
of most other children. There
was a season when he lived peaceably
in a shabby, quiet place with pretty
woman who was Mother, and Granny.
And then there was a season when,
without warning, but with hot kisses
burning on his cheeks-kisses that
tasted saltily of tears, sometimes
he went to another place, where it was
grand and hOusy and cooped-up and
where there was a man rather jolly
but sometimes cross-that was Father.
Being with Father always meant new
clothes from head to heels and a lot
of loving. sometimes, and lot Of
scolding, sometimes, and too much
candy to eat, and sick spell, and sew
eral uncomfortable visits to austere
old folks in a big house by a river, and
a man named Andrew.
Living with Mother-oh, Bibs much
preferred living with Mother because
1t meant being loved all the time and
having ones clothes buttoned with
little tender pats, and no Andrew. 1t
meant being understood and forgiven
and playing in peace In the yard and
welcoming Mother home from work
evenings, and Granny with her twinkly
eyes 1t also meant getting most any
thing he wanted and the tune-his be-
loved, precious tune. Any time he
demanded that, even long before ne
could talk or ask for It, he could have
1t played Granny would stop any
thing to play II for him on their
wheezy little phonograph. And now
he was getting so big she'd let him
put the record on himself sometimes,
and play 1t. Bibs loved 1t above all
things else.
Vaguely, he knew he was the only
one that did care for It, He knew
everybody else thought 1t pretty aw-
ful record and got tired of II. But
that was because they didn't under
stand. He loved II because OF his Sc
cret-his own little secret he couldn't
share with anybody, not even twinkly-
eyed Granny nor Mother, who under
stood everything else in the world.
Perhaps he sensed he didn't under
stand himself He was always i'm
patient for the first of it to end. And
the last of 1t didn't matter great
deal TO Blbs. It was just sort of wind
up because everything had to have an
end. But in the middle-in the middle
Of that record little tune came in
little part that somehow reached
into Bib's heart and filled II with a
strange, inexplicable feeling--a pain,
pleasure, longing yearning, a
sweetness, thing that never failed
to bring its thrill TO him, little tune
that never, never got old or tiresome.
Again and again Bibs demanded the
record; again and again he wanted II
played for the sake of this tune, until
II was almost worn out. And If by any
chance he was denied he roared and
roared until his Mother would groan +:
"Oh, heavens Again :" and put II on
for peace sake-and his.
Gradually, when Bibs went to the
place where Andrew and his Father
were, he came to miss his tune inordi-
nately. And presently he was big
enough to fret about and tell Father
who didn't understand.
'Play him something, Andrew" his
Father would say. "Play 'em all !"
And Andrew would play and play on
Fathers big phonograph, but nothing
pleased Bibs: no record revealed the
tune he loved. And then he would
roar and Andrew would play harder
and not find the tune, and finally his
Father would spank him and put him
to bed and he'd go to sleep still sob
bing for the thing that he missed.
From his little bed Bibs saw his
Mother pressing and mending all his
clothes and putting all the buttons on
and his heart sank. They had had a
wonderful evening together. Mother
had been tremendously loving ana
they had played and played his be-
loved record as many times as he
wanted, with never mo" But when
Bibs saw her mending and pressing
with her eyes so tired, he knew what
II all meant.
It meant the car tomorrow. and An
drew and Father and weeks and weeks
and weeks without Mother and Gran
ny And visits to the starchy old folks
in the big house by the river, and no
tune-for ages and ages. no tunel
His heart swelled with rebellion.
Why couldn't they let him alone7 He'd
rather stay with Mother-always. Out
wardly, Bibs was very good. He had
promised Granny to be good when she
told him how II hurt his Mothers
heart when he was bad, and made
things harder for her. He loved his
Mother very much. But inwardy to-
night, he longed to stop her everlast-
ing fussing with his things and just