The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-01-23

WdlJ uAltu =. Al 6OiAlS W AASCt I'M
again at T."
moi" declared Ermintrude. Oar
ling-no, please" entreated Ermin-
trude. 1T is just terrible. And, like
l said"
Il promised. He took my sisters
bag"
well, you kept your promise,
didn't you? You promised to meet
him at two. 1t isn't your fault, is
it, if he can't even have his clothes
ready to wear or anything?
Now, listen, Mary-Frances. You
help me with these old peas, and
then I'll go with you, and well get
your sisters bag, and"
Il promised again to meet him
at 4. I'm going. I'm sorry if it all
comes back on you, but guess it
won't.
Anyway, I have to live my own
life, guess, and carve my own ca
reer and all. 1 don't know where
he took Cissy's bag"
A car had parked behind the pink
roses at the curb.
Ermintrude looked up and saw it
and squealed high, Its Uncle Cha
ney! It's Uncle Clancy" and was
halfway down the walk to meet
him.
Uncle CLANCY, indeed, and no
other, straight from his ranch and
a Dickens novel, baskets hampers,
one should say in hand; shirt-blue
eyes in a round, red face, china
white teeth in a pretty pink plate,
beaming, twinkling, "Ho-hoing!"
makig all the right gestures, doing
all the right things, and thoroughly
we'll pleased with the world and
himself.
kHRS. HILL came, and there were
1V1 more greetings, and kisses,
and laughter, and Mary Frances on
tagging legs followed the three into
Mrs. Hills chastely charming yell
ow-and-white kitchen.
Uncle CLANCY heaved the ham
pers to the tables shining top and
said, for the third time, "Essie fig
ured if was going to camp on you
folks, I'd better bring a little some
thing along" and Mrs. Hill and Err
mintrude began to dip into the bas-
kets, and take things out, and ex-
claim, and say that Essie shouldn't
have-the idea!-and that Uncle
CLANCY shouldn't have, and salt
rising bread!" and enough for a
regiment for month";" and all that
sort of thing.
Chickens, spring ones, ready to
fry; two quarts of Jersey cream as
yellow as cheese; chubby brown
cookies, crooked with raisinS; and
angel-food cake, lacking only wings,
and Strawberries, early picked with
the dew on them, and fragrant in
fresh green leaves.
Sweet butter packed in a fat,
brown crock; white lettuce, crisp as
paper; curving green cucumbers;
holly-red tomatoes, and fascinating
things in glasses that Essie Just put
in cause she wanted you folks to
sample 'em-she didn't know how
good they were.
All these, and more, too, were fed
to the refrigerator, and plans we're
afoot for strawberry Shortcake with
whipped cream, and Mary Frances
watched and listened, faint and for
lorn.
Since breakfast Frances
had eaten one sailed wafer. She
and Ermintrude had lunched to-
gether. When Ermintrude'S cousin
Esther had been married she had
not eaten one bite-the cousin,
Esther, that is, of course-for two
whole days preceding the event.
Ermintrude's standards were high.
Ermintrude'S tongue was just
tongue. For years and years after
ward Ermintrude would say, if she
could say it truthfully: I'VE were
together all that day, and she was
in land of dreams. Nothing could
persuade her to eat a bite"
Mrs. Hill looked at Mary Frances
and thought that the child seemed
miserable and said, You'll stay and
have dinner with us, won't you,
Mary Frances?"
II can't, thank you" said
Mary Frances, weakly Oh, SO
weakly!
Eyes. but you must. All this COM
pany food needs company"
] n
T-CANT. Grand isn't very
Il we'll. I'll be needed at home. -
Mrs. Hill said, You know best,
dear, if that is the case," and felt
meanly humbled Here she had
been wondering of late about the
complete desirability of the little
Fenwick girl as playmate for Err
mintrude.
She knew that Mary Frances was
a nice little girl; still, she had been
planning to encourage Errnintrude