Evening star., 1929-05-19

Living next door to people in the
Summer, when all the windows are
open, is like having a good seat at the
movies Even more so, in fact. because
you can't help hearing practically every
thing you don't see.
without wishing to pin any medals
on my own chest, ! must say that 1 III
more particular than lot of next-door
neighbors. In fact, I even bend over
backward that way. I always hang up
the phone when hear anybody else us
ing our party line. Or practically always.
And while we lived in the bungalow and
Roger and Dulcie were right next door,
whenever they would quarrel I'd turn on
our radio loud so that Couldn't near
what they said.
When we moved into our new house
we had no neighbors at all on one side,
only a new little bungalow that had
been put up for speculation and hadn't
been sold yet. On the other side, just
across a low hedge, was the Coates
house, big, old-faShioned place with
cupola and manSard roof.
We hadn't been in our new home two
DAYS before I realized that, if I was
going to try to use the loud speaker to
keep from overhearing the way things
went in the Coates house I'd wear out
the 3 batteries.
AS far back as I could remember I'd
heard mother and Mother Horton talk
about poor Matte Coates" However,
till We moved in next door and I ac-
tually saw and heard for myself I
never really understood. The Coateses
weren't poor in money way. Mr..
Coates owned the only hardware store
In town and had done fairly well.
Much good that's ever done Mat
tie. though" Mother Horton used to say.
'Poor Matte is martyr to her family
If there ever was one. When the chill
dren we're little and Thomas was just
getting the store started she worked
like a dog. And now that the business
is doing we'll and the children are prac-
tically grown up and where they should
be a real help to her not soul does
anything but impose on her"
Asi I say, If I'd tried to use our radio
to keep from overhearing the Coateses
imposing on their mother, I'd have had
the loud speaker on from dewy dawn to
blackeSt midnight. And then some.
Betty Coates was to graduate from high
school in June and for that crowd, mid
night is just the shank of the evening.
Betty would arrive home ct any old
hour, bringing anywhere up 50 dozen
boys and girls along with Der and I'd
hear her call:
Mother, did the boys eat UP all that
cake? Mother. isn't there anything to
eat in the house?"
And pretty soon I'd hear poor Mrs.
Coates voice and know that she had
slipped q dress on over her nightgown
and was down In the kitchen. scram-
bling eggs or making lemonade or
something.
Usually while Mrs Coates was down.
stairs I'd hear Marice, the Oldest girl,
who was married and living at home
with husband and three -month-old
baby, call down sleepily:
"Oh, mother, s long as you're up,
would you mind giving Tommie his
hottle?"
IT'S perfect nonsense for q three
month-old child to be still having
2 am. feeding but, when limited this
to Marice she said II she stopped 1t
Tommie'd probably cry every night for
a week and Phil couldn't stand 1t to
hear a baby cry. Besides, she said, the
night bottle wasn't any trouble. OF
course, 1t wasn't any trouble-not to
Marice.
Mrs. Coates would be up in time all
breakfast for Mr.. Coates and Tom, their
21-year-old son, and Phil, Marice's hus-
band. Betty'd come sauntering down
along toward 10 o'clock, looking as fresh
and pretty as rose and grumbling:
"Hominy againi Mercy, mother this
coffee Is cold.'
And Mrs. Coates, who'd probably be
hanging some Of Tommie's little white
dresses out on the line, would come in
and make fresh coffee.
Marice. who'd be all worn out already
from having bathed the baby and made
up his formula, would come and have
cup. too, and sit gossiping with Betty
while her mother stayed In the kitchen
sterilizing the bottles.
1t was grand for Marice. She ran
around with the youngest married girls
in town who hadn't had any babies
yet, as free as any of them.
"Oh, mother never minds keeping
Tommie," she'd say complacently. you
know how crazy grandmothers always
are over their first grandchild."
Which was all very fine, but then
I'd see one of Mrs. Coates friends stop
by in a car in the afternoon and ask
her to take spin. And, of course, Mrs
Coates couldn't go. because Tommie
leave the house. So she'd move the sew
ing machine out on the upstairs porch
and work on clothes for Betty.
And the boys were just as bad as the
girls. Tom had one of those positions
that are very white collar, but don't pay
any salary worth mentioning. His
father wouldn't give him any extra
learn to live on what he earned, espe-
cially when he didn't have any board to
pay. But Mrs. Coates was always Slip
ping Tom little extra.
HONESTLY, you couldn't help see
ing that every one of Mrs. Coates
family except maybe her husband, was
perfectly willing to impose on her un-
selhshness. And yet she was the brav-
est little thing The only one of the
family that she ever complained about
was Phil, Marice's husband.
"Of course. he pays part of the gro
Gerry BILL" she conflded to me, but it
does seem that he might take little
interest around the place, NOW the lawn
once in while, or something like that.
But he never lifts a hand. I've asked
him dozen times to AK the faucet
that drips, but he never remembers to
bring home washer.
IT wouldn't mind so much" she went
on, but 1t puts papa all out Of patieRce.
And then Phil is always arguing ah1ut
religion with him. I've never let one
of my own children argue with papa,
and it makes me so nervous for Phil b.
Every time they get to going 1t leaves
me with a nervous headache. It's the
hardest thing to keep them from saying
something that they'll be sorry for aft
erward"
She sighed-a Deep terribly worried
Sigh.
There just wasn't anything Mrs
Coates didn't do to try to keep the
peace, either. Why, one day in July
Marice was going to haze some of her
young married friends in for luncheon
and she said, day nr two before. that
she was just ashamed to have the girls
see the hedge; it needed trimming sc
Aal