Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-10

of pOtCn klaI DOInb. IL ISttA
tnnocently, stopping off at Brettsviile
for few days. NJ lly." And as Mlliy
was a distant cousin of Grace's and
had not made them a visit since Grace
and Ed were married this was exactly
the right thing for her to do.
Before Ed and Grace were married
Milly had shown no reserve when II
came to convincing Ed that he could
have her for the asking, but after he
Yves tied to Grace she had, very de-
Gently he thought, fade1 away. ans
for these IL years they had heard
from her only through an occasionally
postcard
These II years had cemented the
beautiful hectic early love Of the dai1i-
ty. delicate, shy Grace and the tall,
gangljng Ed into something more COM
monplace to the casual eye, but with
it's roots reaching into the eternal
There were the plump, blue.eyed pink
checked twins just 16-Merty and
Berry; there were three short grave
on the elm shaded hillside = rem
err of the diphtheria epidemic there
was Eds typhoid sickness that "a
left him not so strong and needing
Grace's tender solicitude; there was
the struggle for a home; always the
eu-SacrItlce that tranScendS into beau.
ty what might otherwise be almost
Sord;d
Milly followed hard upon the post
card-only it took Ed and Grace some
seconds to comprehend that the
straight, slim figure in the straight
clinging black dress, orange touched,
almost knee-high, revealing slim,
Shapely legs and French heel satin
slippers-that this was Milly. Her
hair was boyishly bobbed and she was
q la mode to the la St touch
Ed and Grace remembered Milly
as fat, ungainly girl with big free
kles on white skin and wispy red
hair. She was always making herself
conspicuous by following some latest
xad-invariably unbecoming. But
now
Goodness, Milly, you look younger
than won did II years ago! Why, you
look young enough to be our daughter
doesn't she, Grace"
And there was nothing for Grace
fat, f1abby, her duh hair twisted into
tight bun on the back of her head
her feet uncomfortably spreading in
red felt bedroom slippers-to do except
nod feeble assent.
In fact, it seemed to Grace that for
some days to come that was about all
she did. She who by right of her wife
hood and motherhood had been the
handspring of the home now seemed
effaced by the dominating cleverness
and good looks and youth of Milly
The twins hung on her every word
followed her about like puppies and
openly criticized their m8th =
pearance. Ed was not better than the
fWlnS-at least in admiring Milly Blu.
he had hastily hushed the twins when
they told their mother she was too fat
to have any style, and had warned
them they were in a glass house and
should be careful about stones. But
Grace observed that now Ed shaved
every day, that he wore becoming ties
and that he carried his great length
Straighter than heretofore.
Milly'S heart was not unkind in spite
of the veneer that kept it from be-
ing soft.
you don't have to stay that way
you know, Grace" she said, following
Grace upstairs after she had seen her
wipe a tear from her eye with the
corner of her blue calico apron. Come
in here and let's talk She drew
Grace inside her room and closed the
door, curled herself upon the bed and
proceeded to tell Grace few things
about keeping young and good looking.
GRACE humbly and hungrily accept
cd all that Milly had to tell her. 1t
seemed that her life was to consist
chiefly of lettuce and roils--tfle latter
not edible. That night she toiled to
the attic to begin the process of max
ing herself young. She wouldn't for
the world have had Merry or Betty or
Ed discover her. She wanted to sur
prise them. She succeeded in doing
thiS-and herself as well.
She had not rekoned with her weight
or the light construction of the attic
floor, to say nothing of its age. She
knew it was a rickety building that
rocked beneath every wind, so she
gave no heed to it's protesting creakS
with every bend or turn she took. But
when she attempted a SomerSault it
shrieked and gave way noisily beneath
the strain, precipitating Grace's two
plump, white-stockinged legs through
the ceiling of Milly's rooms, to which
Merit and Bert had gone for good
night chat, and even Ed stood in the
doorway, laughing at one of Milly's
Sallies.
Even through the surprise and the
shock and the pain Grace heard with
humiliation the shout of laughter that
went up; but it was followed by
panicky silence, a rush up the stairs
and rescue.
A medley Of aches and pains and
groans, Grace was put to bed and the
doctor was called Some ribs broken,
a strained leg cord, a broken collar
bone and general shock-"Better stay
in bed for week." said the round,
owl-eyed doctor. And the exercise is
all right, only go little easy to start
on. You need the reducing"
I Milly had been planning to leave
the next day. But she could not de-
sert the family in their predicament
Ed, Merry and Berry were all as help
less as babes in this emergency"
I'm stay" Milly assented to their
pleadings. But don't expect any such
feeds or shining house as Grace kept
for YOU I'm no housekeeper."
She need not have mentioned the
fact. They discovered it in less than
a day. The coffee was watery, the
biscuits were lead, the potatoes burned,
the meat UNDERGONE, the beds went un-
made: dust covered everything. And
Milly was cross. Her merry ways de-
parted with her leisure and pretty
clothes. She was "crosser in two min
uteS than mum was in all her born
days" agreed the twins.
"Why didn't your mother teach you
to do anything? You're big enough to
do All the work. retaliated Milly, I'M
expectedly overhearing them.
"Only get well, mother, and We'll
helm YOU with the work if you show
MS how" they begged of Grace. IF
1Jou knew what home is without youi'