Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-07
Wouldn't Say Word Against Her, Only
She Has Hard Time as Family Guest
BY NINA WILCOX PUTNAM.

l hear where the Prince of Wales
Is often quoted as saying, "a horse!
A horse My Kingdom to stay on a
horse!' When all the time the
chances are the poor boy amt got
the least idea of how the falls he gets
from them four legged animals amt
In 1t with the ones which will be
coming to him when he marries and
has poor relations come to visit.
The great truth Of this come over
me few weeks ago. when a letter
come from Cousin Fannie. Before
even { -ened 1t 1 give a pretty good
guess tl.at she was writing to say
where ST. was conner leave Uncle
Wits by mutual request. and If she
wouldn't be in the way she would
like to come down and pay little
visit to 1 and George. that's my hus-
band
Now 1 am real fond of Cousin
Fannie. I got to be. on account by
q mutually understood perfect ladies
and gents agreement in our family.
it is cheaper to have her visit back
and fourth and fifth and around then
for the lot of us to chip in any regu-
lar sum, per annum, if you get what
I mean. OF course / personally my
self believe Uncle VIII had ought to
make her a regular allowanc what
with all his money. Not that ! have
ever directly said as much TO him. on
account of course the money is his, not
mine, and what he does with it is his
own business. Still and all | know
ne could afford 1t. heavens knows he
spends enough on other-thingS.
l have always fully realized where
1 could easy show Uncle Will how
TO spend his jack a whols lot more
tntelligently then he now does. es'
pecially on Cousin Fannie, but he
don't seem to appreciate this, and he
has never asst me what to do. In fact
I even heard, through Aunt Eata. who
had 1t direct from Second Cousin
Gussie. that Uncle Will had once said
he loved Cousin Fannie and all that,
but he couldn't see for the life Of him
why l and George didn't take her to
live with us permanent, we had
spare room, George was making a
good salary, and what a relief 1t would
be to the rest of the family.
And then naturally l says well, why
don't you take her permanent, Aunt
Eata. she's such dear thing? And
Aunt Eata says well, that's just It.
she's too dear for me, on my income,
not but I'm glad to do anything l can,
but If anybody was to have her, really
II ought to be Gussie, why lookit the
size of Gussie's house. Gussie could
easy have both girls sleep together
and put Cousin Fannie in the chicken
coop. Of course it's little draughty
in windy weather. but I'm sure Gus
sizes hens wouldn't mind bit, Fannie
is such sweet thing. they would feel
perfectly well at home with her!
And I says why Aunt Eata, you
amt calling Cousin Fannie a old hen,
are you? And she says OF course not,
I wouldn't say thing against her,
only of course you know her temper
does get the better of her some of
the time. There is no sense in beating
any bushes about that. And she does
smell kinda strong Of peppermint, but
she's one of the family and l wouldn't
say a word against her for worlds.
WELL, nobody wasn't offering any
woulds to Aunt Eata. so far as
knew, and taking 1t buy and lodge,
the cheapest thing for all concerned.
was to have her visit And anyways,
Cousin Fannie is such a dear. And,
as Aunt Eata pointed out. after all.
she was one of the family. 1t would
never do to have her In a institution,
never do for the institution. anyways.
She is my secondhand cousin on
my fathers side. Her mother mar
ried Uncle Wits niece by marriage
through his aunt's cousins nephew
jn-law, and of course that makes her
very close-so close she wouldn't pay
q nickel to see the Queen of England
do the Charleston. But she certainly
IS a dear. I wouldn't say a word
against her, and no matter how mean
the rest of the family are to her, 1
always am generous and kind where
she Is concerned. Why one year,
when George thought my Winter coat
was too good for me to buy a new one,
why 1 give her the coat right off my