The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-12-19

was absolutely the color of snow that
has drifted into high dazzling plush
1t was white and silky beyond the
telling. She wore 1t fluffed beautiful
ly around her little old face. Against
the whirling sands of the desert, as
the train drove through. she kept it
quantity covered with large silk
nightcap.
She was querulous, fussy little
old lady, making constant demands
on the porter, in tiny, chirping voice
that for all the world was like that
of gullfnch chirping in his cage.
That was how the FlOxes met her.
She kept chirping so. Demanding,
complaining, requesting, reiterating.
What time? Open the window. Glass
of water Too hot. Too cold! Open
the window. Close the window.
After while ii was Reverend FlOx
himself, and Mrs. Flox, who found
themselves doing these things on the
jump. The porter ceased to respond
TO her rings. Even the blonde young
baby-doll. who was occupying the up
per berth of the old lady's section
managed to have herself removed to
another coach.
The little lady was a trial.
And yet, II anybody in the world
was equipped to attend to the needs
of the little lady IL was Reverend Flox
and his wife. They were so attuned
to years of that kind of service. Not
only in the parish; but in their very
home itself two little old ladies had
exercised just that type of tyranny.
And the little old lady, mind you.
was bound for Hollywood. With ex-
actly fifty dollars in her pocket, and
the blessing of son In Moline, Mo-,
who as she innocently described him.
had all the earmarks of a ne'er-do-
well, she was setting out to battle her
final years on the far-famed precincts
of Hollywood.
Back in Moline, legend had it thar
In Hollywood fame and fortune
awaited the old. The screen clam.
ored for sweet-faced, white-haired
grandmothers to play the roles of ole
age.
And the little old lady was thither-
bound. tired TO the soul, frail as
match. but hoping that there awaited
security for her in the sunset of her
life.
You see, gentle-faced old ladies,
with breeding, mind you, were in de-
mand in Hollywood. There was
certain instance, we'll known to news.
paper headlines, of a little old lady
In the twilight of her life who had
found fame and fortune in pictures at
the age of sixty eight.
This little old lady was turning
small, lined face toward some of that
fame and fortune. The son, whom
she so uncOnsciOusly described as the
ne'er-do-well he was. had aided and
abetted her in this tardy ambition. SO
had daughter-in-law, who had ap.
parently gone much out of her way TO
see to it that the exodus of the little
lady from the home of her son was
a final one.
Here was a small, aged soul being
sent on her way. A way that was
perilous beyond the telling; way
that was sure almost Immediately to
develop pits and holes that would
swallow her up.
Reverend Flox and his wife listened
sadly while she prattled of the rain
bow that stretched across the small
span of sky that was left to her. She
had been cast adrift subtly, cruelty,
haplessly. Dark forces were about to
pOunce upon her remnant of life. And,
all the while, innocently, a little
childishly, she sat fussing and chirp
ing in her berth. demanding of life
and on the verge of getting in return
less than nothing.
The Floxes saw her plight and could
have wept for her. And of course in
the end the obvious happened.
They could no more have permitted
this frail wisp of a little old creature
to slip into the maelstrom of the
struggle for existence than they could
have done likewise with any of the
many old ones whose responsibilities
had for so many years been resting
upon their shoulders.
The little old lady never found her.
self in that maelstrom. She lives in
a tiny bungalow, which she querulous-
ly shares with the Floxes. Because of
the addition to the household, Rever-
end Flox has been obliged to accept
part-time work in an outlying parish
The wife of Reverend Flox has not
very much time to herself. The little
old lady keeps on chirping: Open the
window. Close the window. Too hot.
Too cold.
The Floxes dance attendance
They are made that way.