New Britain herald., 1926-09-16
CHARLOTTE MILLS NOT WORRIED AS
HER MOTHER FAILS TO RETURN HOME

Well next day went to school as
usual and came home around sup
per time. Mother was preparing
supper.
1t was sort of stew of liver and
kidney and things l hated. Mother
had very little money for house
keeping. If she hadn't studied up
and taught herself dietetics and
how to use up leftovers and .make
nice dishes out of cheap cuts of
meat, ! don't know how we ever
would have gotten along. She used
to cook lots of vegetables and
fruits but we never had very much
meat, or expensive cuts, and she
always used everyscrap to make
stews or hash croquettes with po-
tatoes.
Dan and I always fused about
eating the stews and hashes, but
Mother made us do it.
Your father wants meat" she'd
say, land l have to get the kinds l
can afford. It's plenty good enough
for you children, and if you don't
want to eat it, make your meal of
other things. l can't cook special
dishes for you. You must learn to
like everything"
She would have loved to fix de-
licious things for US, but that was
her German, thrifty way-to make
us eat what was there. and be sat
isfied.
Well, on this particular Thursday
afternoon, September IA, l remem-
Der how disguised I felt when l saw
the kidney stew for supper, and
nothing else but a few pears. Had
I known what was going to be my
mothers fate that very night ]
would have cut off my right hand
rather than have been even the
tiniest bit nifty.
She made some laughing remark
and pinched my chin and told me
to be a good girl and not be fin
icky, and maybe we'd see about it
later" 1 took it to mean we might
have ice cream or something.
AS I have written before, I was
knitting sweater, and when
Mother said she was going out l
told her I'd go over to Aunt Joe's
and have her show me how 10 turn
the shoulder OF the sweater,
"Oh, you wait for me, KID"
Mother said, and hurried out.
But didn't. went on over to my
aunt's. I never saw my mother
again, alive or dead.
Dan and I came home around
ten or so. I was tired and went to
bed. Father was in bed, too. 1t must
have been somewhere near mid
night when Father came to my
room and said, Your mother isn't
home yet, do you know where she
went?" or something like that.
was too sleepy to say much.
mumbled something, and father
went away. I suppose he was wor-
ried. finding mother hadn't come in.
1 wasn't worried at all--not even
the next morning when she still
wasn't home. had such confidence
in mother. Whatever she did, or
didn't do, was all right with me.
| She knew what she was about and
would always do the right and sensi-
bic thing. supposed she
had stayed over night with
| one of my aunts and
| that was all there was to 1t. I got
breakfast and went off to school.
That afternoon l went for canoe
ride with some high school pals, and
1t wasn't till Dan came around that
l recalled mother hadn't been home,
and asked him if she had got back.
He said no, and looked kind of
/ worried, and we went home togeth-
or, and father looked worried too,
and l began to have a terrible feel
ing as if something must have hap
pened. But nothing like what did
happen ever crossed my mind.
Close as I was to mother and
much as I loved her, not a shadow
Of presentment came to me.
And there they both We're. lying
dead in a thicket under a crabap-
pie tree. Out there. My mother!