Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1928-08-24
LIKED
PLUMP
GIRLS
1+'-o-e-o-s'o's-o-"o<>~E>o-so-s-o-s-o-so-s.
90 by d. ]. Walsh1

Y lisa had always been thin, skinny
Her elbows stuck out and her
! L. collar bones bumped up. Her
mouth was Il discouraged line
In her too well set face. Lisa looked
longingly at all well-rounded girls
| "Why do | have to be such rack-a.
bones? If my face were full I'd be as
good looking as Janet or Mary Lou"
Lisa's five feet tipped the scales at
exactly 100. Hopefully she drank milk,
ate rich foods, took development exer.
cises. The quivering needle perversely,
persistently refused to advance one
jot.
Then lisa went away for a visit
She danced and rode and swan and
picnicked. She was too busy to know
whether she was rotund or wlllowy
Scales and all their ken passed tenn
pOrarily out of her scheme of things
"Why, Lisa, how well you look !"
The first person she met on her re-
turn greeted h r In pleased surprise.
"Chlld, you really got fat" Her
mother held her at arms length and
looked her over.
Mountain air ur1 agrees with
YOU" remarked Lon, coming over aft
er dinner, "Want to 60 to the movies,
Lisa? Some show tonight"
Lisa pricked up her ears and con
suited her mirror
what are they all talking about"
she demanded Of herself, peevlshly
disappointed. ~ cart see that | look
any different" She hoped on the
scales on her way downtown.
One hundred flvel
wheel l dbl / reall! did" Then
down deep inside, "Tm going to have
cushions on my elbows and curry lips
Pm going to look like other folks "
And from then on the suddenly
tractable little needle obliglngly slipped
around. One hundred nine-thirteen-
seventeen. Lisa let out the waist.
bands on two beloved old dresses.
Elsa child, you are getting fat"
marveled Aunt Kate on her return
from trip east
81 know Isn't II nce7 | can wear
low necks now and look right. How
did hate to be skihnyp And happy
eyes laughed out at happy eyes from
her mirror, assuring her that she was
no longer In the dcsplsed category.
"Hey, Lisa, you better go through
that door sideways First you know
they'll be wanting you for the fat
lady in the circus Thus small broth
er on the day the record went to one
hundred twenty-five.
"Pm just right retorted Lisa
heatedly I'm only four pounds over
weight ant after all these years,
guess that's due me-"
you're getting pretty broad, Iearie
appraised her mother conslderlngly
"Your height"
Now mother, for pity. sake, let
me enjoy H. Don't begin to pick on
me before the novelty's worn off,
She kissed the end of her mo.hor's
nose "That would worry me thin
again. Everybody loves fat man,
she laughlngly picked up her hat and
ran down the steps.
II NJ h@ioht ShNit Jimmy uItW .HlS
peddler's wagon up before the gate
bent you leetle mite heavier than
you was last tlmeW He reached
bag Of apples down to her. "Them
amt fattepin', You can eat en-" and
sat shaking.
"Pretty good armful." "Trylng fol
the heavyweight class?" Beats all
how you're takin' on weight" "Soon
be as stout as your ma" Friends ana
neighbOrs, with the easy familiarity Of
lifelong acquaintance, dropped thcl'
amused comments on half unheedlnp
ears.
"Fm just nice and plump" Lisa con
graduated herself happily, "and they
think It's funny after all these lean
years"
Then Lisa went TO try on new
dress. Small mirror held close, she
peered over her shoulder
Her thoughts turned turtle She
shut her lips just in time on sicken.
ing gasp. Surely that couldn't be her
reflection. "Why, LIN fat Fatr she
told herself In Mortified CONSERVATION.
II didn't know | looked like that. I'm
sOlld--pudgy. All thick around the
waist -
stout" heavy" broad" the hate.
ful words climbed up out al her leaplng
memory and danced like lmps around
her stricken head.
"a won't look that way. | wOn'tr
she told herself all the way home
and picked up an article on diet in
the first magazine her hand touched
when she got there.
Lisa, are you dreamlng" At the
table her mother stared at her. you're
eating your bread dry"
d don't care for butter, thank
you, mother"
fame at just that momentH They all
looked.
mot cnre for"
"She's dletlngw whooped Jim, grin.
ming like gargOyle. "She's dieting
to reduce"
What power Of flendlshness ever
gave nine-year-old mascuIlnlty such a
maddenlng faculty for locating the
nails head?
I'm little upset today" she re-
marked evenly, looking straight at her
mother and ignoring the tormentOr
81 thought I'd be little careful with
my eatlng. that's all
"That doesn't explain the cucumber
salad" put In her father quietly.
Lisa looked at II conslderlngly the
usual generous plate Of her favorlie
salad, more than half eaten then met
her fathers amused eyes