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

|
time, it wears thin. It holds you up
fine for the first two or three times,
and then it begins to sag under the
weight. I don't feel nearly as well
supported this Sunday as had the
| week before. In fact, I'm not sure that
| I didn't complain about 1t little bit
! to Will. He didn't take it very serious
| ly, however. He had seen Cousin Effle
around his own home all the years
before he got married, and he'd got
used to her.
FRIDAY night, being Wills lodge
l. night, I had invited Roger and
| Dulcie to supper. Our houses are so
close together that Dulcie can put little
| Dulcie to bed in their room and by
| leaving our living room window open a
little we can hear If she cries. Dulcle
and I have a very pleasant evening
together while the boys are gone, and
if they get back early enough the four
of us have a game of five hundred be-
| fore they go home. 1t is lovely ar
rangement, and it was terrible blow
when about $50 o'clock looked out
into the gathering dusk and saw Cousin
Efie. There was nothing to do, Of
course, but to ask her for supper.
| Well, it simply ruined the evening.
|
couldn't talk about anything that In
terested us. BY $50 o'clock Dulcie was
so bored that she went home. Cousin
Fife stayed, and told me about the
time she had appendicitis till VIII got
home.
at don't see how I'm going to stand
it if she keeps dropping in like this all
the time" / said to viii that night.
But he, fresh from a pleasant eve
ming at the lodge, seemed to. think !
was making much Of trif1e.
made up my mind that the next time
Cousin Fife dropped in like that I
wouldn't ask her to stay. But the next
time, which was only next Wednesday,
we were just sitting down to the table,
and couldn't get out of it. WIN said
that he had to go back to the Office for
little while that evening. And he
never came back till 10 o'clock.
BY that time the feeling Of being viz
tuous had died in me altogether, was
more than provoked was mad. I
had listened to symptoms till I was
nearly crazy. When Will came back
from having walked home with her /
told him that simply couldn't stand 1t.
| "Oh, she's not as bad as all that"
Will said mildly.
At that I just few of the handle.
you don't know anything about how
bad she is" said. You never see
her. You do just the same as you used
to do at home before you got married
you go of somewhere. You don't know
anything about it."
WELL" said Will, 81 don't see what
we can do about it. We told the folks
grudge the poor old soul q meal once
| in while"
II wouldn't begrudge her three meals
day." declared. Its sitting for
hours, and listening to her troubles.
She doesn't talk about anything except
being sick and nobody coming to see
her."
Will yawned.
well, If we don't get to bed we'll be
sick ourselves" he said, land nobody'll
come to see u.s."
And with that he seemed to feel that
the subject was closed.
| X X \ X
IRON that time on Cousin Effle be-
gan to be a perfect nightmare to
me. We were never just settling down
to cozy supper and the prospects OF
nice evening together that wouldn't
hear her knock at the door. I got to
know it and dread it. Shed give a
faint, deprecating little tap and push
the door open and call:
Anybody home?"
With two babies, you couldn't simply
keep still and pretend not to be there.
It was worst of all when we had COM
pany. tried every way could to keep
her from coming those times, but It
practically never worked. I'd say just
as cordially as could:
Come again, Cousin Efie. Any time
avanVAf l0vY aSvAn xvAer,
gagement for that night"
Saturday about o'clock I'd look out
the window and see her turning in at
the gate just as sure as shooting
oh, are you having company?" she'd
say, as though surprised. We'll, I'll
run along and come some other time"
The only trouble with it was that she
never did run along.
It got me to feeling edgy at Will.
We'd never had anything come between
us before that we hadn't worked out
together. But Will wasn't with me on
this. When I'd say anything he'd Just
say how we'd promised the folks and
how it would kill his mother If we
weren't nice to Cousin Efie. And then
one one fiimSy excuse or another he'd
slide out and leave me with all the
being nice" to do myself. Over and
over tried to make Will understand.
but couldn't. It was as though were
trying to talk to foreigner who
couldn't understand my language.
don't know how things would have
worked out eventually If it hadn't been
for Kathie's coming. I was getting
more and more upset and more and
more aggrieved at VIII.
But one Sunday I was just Setting
the table when I heard the familiar
little tap at the door, and a minute
later Cousin Effie's Anybody homer"
oh, hello. Cousin Edde," said Will
cordially. Come In. You're Just in
time for dinner"
went on making the gravy, in
kind Of dull hopelesSness. knew that
VIII would be as cordial as could be
all through dinner, but Immediately
afterward make an excuse to go some-
where. It seemed to me just couldn't
Ef1ie, though knew that I'd have to.
But, just as we were sitting down
to the table, the telephone rang. It
was mother.
Guess who's here!" she said.
''Kathie."
"I nearly dropped the receiver: we
hadn't been expecting Kathie for an
other week.
They're on the way down to FL
MeT 5, mObuer went on. They're GO
ing to take the night train tonight.
You and VIII bring the babies and come
down. There's plenty Of dinner for
you ALL"
hadn't seen my sister for over
year, and I'd never seen her new baby.
was so excited that said we'd be
right there, before even thought of
Cousin Fife. She had heard the con-
versation, and began saying something
vague about running along. But that
did seem too mean, with the dinner all
on the table and she with none ready
at home.
you and Will stay and eat this din
| ner," said. Its all ready-youll find
the dessert in the ice box. I'll take the
children" VIII agreed, and as he was