Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-14

" law proposition. OF course,
my family would never have
been a problem, because mother Is so
sweet and father Is awfully broad
minded, and everybody likes my sister
Kathie With Wills family, 1t is a
any orchid on my own shoulder, but
it's only fair to admit that there are
girls who wouldn't have got along with
Mother and Father Horton anything
like the way have.
The whole secret of getting along
with parents is never to let them guess
how little they know.
That's the way I have worked It.
Mother Horton, for instance, thinks she
knows all about bringing up children,
Just because Will turned out all right.
The truth of it is, it's a wonder that
he even lived! 1t was the nearest
combination of good luck and the fact
that he had strong constitution. But
DO tell Mother Horton that? ] do
not. Not even when she makes fun of
my bringing up the twins according to
modern methods.
my stars!" she'll say, ct expect to
come here some day and find Dot
boiling up the baby book and putting it
through the sieve, to feed 1t to the
babies. That's about the only thing
she hasn't tried to do with it already"
And never once since we've been
married have she and Father Horton
come to our house for supper in the
Winter that he hasn't gone through the
same performance: I'll have the living
room lights fixed just to suit me, the
bridge lamp on in the corner by the
radio, one bulb in the table light
loosened, to keep it from being glary,
and the piano lamp with the violet
rhade on in the other corner. Those
.1ree together give a lovely, soft,
romantic effect
But not to Father Horton. Every
single time, he'll blink around and
say: Whats the idea? Getting ready
or a seance? Let's have little light
en- the subject"
ing, three-bulb overhead light, which
makes any room look about as romantic
IS a, dairy lunch. But do I tell him
TAT the trouble is that his artistic
Este hasn't been educated up to violet
Light? I do not I just laugh, and act
IS though the only reason hadn't put
CT the overhead myself was because
didn't have brains enough to push the
luton.
Most Of the young married couples
We know have some sort OF tn-laW
difficulties, on one side or the other.
colt simply can't stand Corinne's
,ster's husband, and Bob and Ruth
ave to support Bob's old uncle, VINO
1-iticizes everything Ruth does.
In fact, as Will and I looked about
= our friends, we thought we were
-retty lucky. And I guess we have
;32en, at that.
Even in spite of Cousin Efie.
Cousin Eff1e Is Mother Horizons cou-
s'n, Wills second cousin. Mother Hor-
IN always looked out for her. She
'-sed to be at their home when VIII was
lowing up. She was an old maid and
- quarter invalid-not quite as much as
semi-invalid-and poor. She owned
re cottage that she lived in on Oak
rect and had tiny little income be-
DIES; but, above that, Father Horton
:.:pported her.
When Father Horton began talking
e'oout going to Los Angeles, for Winters,
- least, Mother Horton was worried.
lie said she didn't see how she could
ave Ef1ie. Will was quite worried
? bout his father-every Winter in
-ontrose he gets one of those terrible
'>-onchial coughs that just pull him
own to nothing-and Will said that,
= they wanted to try Los Angeles, not
- be held back by Cousin Eff1e. We
--ould look out for Cousin Eftie.
I said so, too, of course. After all,
i. Father Horton pulled out Of the
i-lsiness, it would all be Wills, and 1t
I'd seem as though, having all that
lone for us, the least We could do
'-ould be to take on Cousin Ef1e.
specially as 1t wasn't such an awful
ut that Father Horton paid her.
T MUST give myself credit for one
thing-that when I undertake to
10 a thing I do my best to do 1t thor
cughly. I knew that Causin Fife used
:, be at the Horizons quite often for
reals and tire first first Sunday after
..1eyd gone I invited her for dinner.
I figured out just as nice dinner,
20, as though were having regular
"ompany. put on my rose crepe
,'ress, too. And followed out my
Then she told Will to give her very
small piece of the chicken, because
chicken always give her dyspepsia, the
ratural thing for me would have been
q say:
"Oh, chicken can't possibly hurt you,
cousin Effie. It's one of the easiest
f1igested foods there is. gave it to
lie babies when they weren't quite 2
ears old, and it's the first meat they
I've you in hospital"
But I didn't say this. I didn't even
I'll her that dyspepsia had gone out. 1t
= bit disheartening, though, to see
ice dinner be a perfect flop. She
---ouldn't touch the lemon pie, either.
IT can't eat anything acid" she said.
: break out"
win usually dries the dishes for me
'lndays; but Cousin Fife offered to.
r-Till strolled over next door to talk to
>oger Lane. It was lovely Fall day,
I'D, after we got the dishes done.
Cousin Ef1e and I sat out on the
'-orch Before the afternoon was over,
made up my mind that, while was
r'1ly too glad to have Will give her a
neck every month, and while would,
=: course, take care of her If she were
'ck, really couldn't have her for
inner. once or twice a week, the way
ne Horizons had always done.
~2ver knew such tiresome, depressing
.,Iman being to talk to-
All she could talk about was her poor
'--alth and her troubles. For any one
no was interested in sickness, it would
I'VE been a real opportunity to learn
. lot: but, while I'm very sympathetic
hen a person is sick, can't say I'm
,,lch interested in hearing them talk
: .out it when they're not.
EYES," Cousin Fife said, "I'm really
'oeling fine today. and that always
~-7rries me. I never feel as well as
..-,'is. except Just before an attack"
Then she told me all about the at
'-cks she had had during the past
lar. The children we're playing out
-, the lawn, and they were SO cute
cat even 7 VIM certainly have every
lance to get tired Of them, had to
Ugh to see them. But Cousin Effie
/. int even see them. She was too
i;',sy talking about how nobody ever
s-ne to see her any more.
Mercy. can see why nobody does" "
told Will that evening, after she'd
me home. "if she just talks to them
,,out sickness all the time, the way
70 did this afternoon. Why, I'm all