The Coolidge examiner., 1932-08-26
TWADDLE
g
By FANNIE HURST
20 by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
(WNU Service)
\ NE sunlit January morning
MADAME Heinrich Strassmore
L., 4

any, chintZ, bits of good brass, cryS-
tai and books and opened her large
stack of mail.
1t was rightly termed music room.
| The big alcove of circular windows
contained a grand piano, a smaller
upright, harp, two music cabinets
and signed photographs of most of
the musical celebrities Of the day.
The last Of madame's letters oc-
cupied her attention a bit more
than the rest. A brief note in a
blue and black envelope with a
stamped, addressed envelope of the
same blue and black enclosed.
Finally madame tipped this let
ter to the top of handsome mar
quetry table and let softly explode
the word ''twaddle" from her wide,
handsome lips.
Then madame walked out of the
sunlit, shabbily pleasant music
room, through a dining room of
good old silver; several still life
paintings, handsome high-backed
Heppelwhite chairs ranged around
the well-worn but handsome din
ing table and then into an enor-
nous kitchen.
A cook looked up at her ap-
proach and together there were
conferences over dinner, the con-
tents Of two large refrigerators
were scanned by madame and a sip
out of a large double boiler taken
by her as she leaned over the
range to inspect a slowly simmer
ing Cruel.
More conferences with a parlor
maid who came into the kitchen
Juggling two pals. an inspection of
new litter of kittens under the
back porch, inquiry about the ice
mans infected finger and then
madame, who wore a chintz bunga-
low apron over her tan morning
dress. climbed up the back stairs to
her children's nursery.
Three children who inherited
their mothers sturdiness of figure
were having their breakfasts of the
recently inspected Cruel, in a sunny
corner Of that room with a frau
lein who conversed with them in
German and then French.
There was a frantic clamoring
over madame as she entered.
Kisses. tumblings, condolences. stor-
les to be told to her, pieces" to be
recited to her, even a few tears to
be weptsto her.
For two hours madame remained
In the nursery.
At twelve o'clock she mounted
another flight of stairs in the
bright old house. and knocked at a
door that led into the sunniest room
of all.
At a desk, under green eye
shade, sat Josef StrassmOre, the
iron gray scholarly husband of
madame.
There was an hours conference
there. The kind of conference none
of their friends had ever looked in
on. Madame and the professor
were guilty of the sort of sopho-
moric absorption in one another
that would have revealed a surpris-
ing side of one of the most ia
nous mezzo-sopranos Of her time
and her academic husband whose
name was equally eminent in one
of the most special realms of
science.
Considering their years, and, for
that matter, the sedate drOop of
the professors shoulders and the
enormous Brunhilde magnificence
of madame, they were like boy and
girl. Obviously two people who
were still lovers.
At one o'clock the professor and
madame and the there children
lunched in a small secluded room
known among themselves as ''the
getaway" because it was there
madame and her family secluded
themselves when reporters or celeb
rity-seekers invaded their quiet.
At two o'clock a messenger from
a shop arrived with some samples
of chintz for the nursery and, for
for another half-hour, madame and
the children and the professor con-
ferred over color and fabrics.
At three o'clock the professor re-
turned to his retreat and madame,
accompanied by fraulein and two
of the children, went in a motor
car to the dentist. where madame
held little hands while cold instru-
ments clicked among small teeth.
At four o'clock madame was back
once more in her home and, at the
sound of her voice, the professor
ventured out of his retreat for a
few moments, arranged some music
for her and went softly out, closing
the door, locking it, and throwing
the key back over the transom, be-
cause already madame's glorious
voice was ripping and pouring.
For three hours, with brief inter-
walls of rest, that sonorous ava
lanche of melody rang through the