Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-02

n She was sitting by their
kitchen window drying her
hands dreamily on the huckaback tower;
her blue checked working apron !leo
tightly about her generous waist. ner
peppcred black and gray hair parted
in the middle like en- old-timc picture
Her husband. decade more up 10
date. sat with one leg on the Kitchen
table. It was Saturday half holiday
Eyes, and there's going to be no more
hard work for you. old girl. ne SAID.
Well buy noe Of those Dig houses
on the bank Of the ravine. Ihere
one I've had my eye on LOT a 5000
while, a nice gray stone with red-tiied
roof and a sun parlor at the back look
ing down the ravine. And well send
The girls to one of them big private
schools up there on the hill It's pity
the chance hadn't come before Mabel
got married"
"Stiu. Mabel's happy with Jack an
her baby" said Mary McAdam. She
still continued to dry her hands me-
chemically as she looked out OF the
window. But what she was seeing was
not the hens waddling and scratching
in the garden, but the days when John
and she had bought that lot in the
suburbs of Toronto with their first
savings. They had built a kitchen
with little attic and they had been
happy
The pensiveness in her face deepened
to sadness.
quite a JOB to run a big house like
that don't know whether can
do it, -.
do it? Shucks! Well keep maid!
Two of 'em If you like"
"Oh, I'D be more scared Of the
maids than the work. They've such
airs, some of EN-. I've heard Nell Da-
Wis talk about EN-"
"Humph! Speak of the angels! Here
comes Nell herself"
Back door for old friends" said Nell
as she came in. "Or is 1t too big
fee!in' youth be for back-door folks now,
Mary, that your husbands grown rich
suddenly? I hear, John, the foundry's
bought your patent for fortune. Ma
bells husband just told Charlie the deal
was through and SO run right over
to congratulate you"
|. Hes been tinkering away at that
thing in the storeroom for years." said
Mary. AN here was I never dreamin'
it'd amount to anything. But I was
just as careful never to move the bits
sweeping or anything. 1t was his work.
An to think of it being worth so many
thousands of dollars!"
And Mary's eyes shone with hint
of tears. That was the part of it she
enjoyed. Johns wonderful work. Her
John!
Just how does 1t work, anyway,
John?" asked Mrs. Davis.
It's an automatic bacon Slicer, or
bread or anything for that matter. All
the stores'll be havin' them soon,
hope. You just set your machine
whatever thickness you want your slice,
an eighth or a sixteenth or whatever you
like, and on the bar above you mark
the quantity, quarter pound, half pound
or whatever you wish, an you set her
goin' at that, an while the merchant
is tyin up tea or sugar the bacon is
bein' sliced We call it Jimmy slicer."
well, isn't 1t wonderful. an to think
Of making a fortune. You didn't think
| of that, you two, when you were mar
ricd at Kelvin's Corners"
mo, an now want to buy fine
| house over there on the hill by the
ravine en- Mary's afraid she can't
run it." ..
Its quite a job though" said Mary
Just the furnishings. I'd be afraid I'd
get things that didn't go right together -
"Oh, that's easy, Mary. All you have
! to do Is to telephone one of them big
stores an they'll send man up. He'll
| look your rooms ali over an tell you
! Just what kind Of curtains and draperies
| and rugs you want, and he'll go back
and pick EN- out for you. An all you
have to do is to go down an see and
pay EN-. They'll pick out the furniture
an even the pictures for each room
An foik'll be goin' through your house
thinkin' the wonderful taste you have!
An it'll be them men doin' 1t all the
time"
THAT does sound easy. Tiff could
lust get on without maid. shouldn't
know how to act with a maid"
Its the easiest bit OF actin you ever
tried. You just get into the way of not
talkin' to them. Rot tcllin' them any
thing about yourself You just give
them their orders for the day and thu
menus for the meals and then sail of
upstairs an keep by yourself An about
the third day you'll have John go down
an say: Mrs. McAdamsll have her
! breakfast in bed this morning An
you'll wear one of them little boudoir
caps. an a niehtie with a crochetcd
yoke, and they'll know thcn you're a
lady
All IL pS CoHlI!S oPcI III my VIII
cap and apron an helpin' your maid ont
on special occasions. An you'll not BE-
lettcn' on to thsm I'm friend III
tell her I've worked for Mrs McAdam
before. An so have Often lent you a
hand. May. You'll be wantin' help at
your tees"
'"Toas! Oh, my" But Mary laughed
little
Yes sure. you'll be havin' teas an
your house all flowers an the girls In
pretty dresses My, won't they enjoy 1t?
An I'll have showed you Just where
you'll stand and told you the thing
I've heard people say to guests"
Mary frightened a little as the,
talked over the good days to come ano
the Gays that had been. But the next
: morning John caught her looking down
into the garden with the same homesich