Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-08-15
The Grandchildren
By James j. Montague

Al WIFE ana l always said
mi that grandchildren would be
l L wonderful to have around the
house. They don't come for visit, of
course, unless they are perfectly well,
which insures you against worry
about them. They go home before
bedtime, so you don't have to think
up animal stories to put them to sleep,
although, come to think of it, 1 never
knew kid who would shut an eye
while an animal story was being told.
They are at their best when they are
away from home, because they are
little afraid of elderly relations, such
as grandparents, and are more likely
to be on their good behavior. And you
can feed. them candy and things they
like with impunity, because the doc
tor hasn't given you any dietary for
them, and they won't get the stomach
ache till after they get back to their
fathers and mothers, anyway.
THAT was what my wife and 1 al
ways said. But we don't say it any
more. Sunday our daughter telephoned
that she and her husband had chance
to run down to Atlantic City for the
weekend, and wondered If we could
look after the two kids. We were de-
lighted. OF course we could, we said,
bring them right over. 1t would be
bully to have them. Just send along
list of what they were allowed to
eat and leave the rest of it to us.
The youngsters, aged three and
one and half, arrived, under escort
the following afternoon. 1t was
thought best not to tell them that their
mother was going away, so while the
boy, Cubby, was amusing himself by
chasing the cat, she slipped off. Hard
ly had she gone before Sister, the girl,
asserted joint claim on the cat, and
attempted to enforce it by laying a
firm hold on it's tail and wrenching it
away from her brother. A crisis &C.
Cured instantly. Distrustful of per-
son who would attack him in the rear
the creature chung to Cubby, sinking
her claws into the sleeves of his little
jacket, through which they protruded
just far enough to bring terrific howl
from him.
The iodine that we applied to the
scratch brought forth another and a
louder howl, but several selections
from a box of candy I had brought
home was balm for the hurt wound.
Meanwhile Sister concealed herself I'M
der a reading table, from which she
presently emerged with an angelic
smile and headed for the dining room,
where she began investigating bowl
of gold fish. arrived just in time to
rescue these creatures from being
dumped ruthlessly on the floor.
BY this time was beginning to Won
der If it had been the best Of judy
ment to entertain these young people.
1t also occurred to me that the idea
that you could take young children or
leave them alone wasn't so good. OF
course we had gone through the same
kind of an experience with our own
offspring, but that was, so to speak,
under compulsion.
time the angels would be playing in
perfect harmony, and agreeing like
birds In their little nests. Then Cubby
would, for no fashionable reason
tweak his sisters ears, and she, though
only a year and a half, would retaliate
with any missile that came to her
hand, such as a wooden horse or toy
umbrella. We began to look forward
to nightfall./ But that blessed relief
still lay beyond a sea Of troubles.
Callers came. Childless callers.
They arrived in the midst of a dis
agreement over the possession Of
banana which Cubby had discovered in
a foraglng expedition to the kitchen.
In his view finders were keepers But
his sister dissented. She had few
words, but she used these with elo-
quence. One of them was mo Nor
which she screamed at the top OF her
voice every time Cubby standing aloof
on chair sought to take a bite out
of his prize. The other was "Baa Baa".
which we learned afterwards was not
an attempt to initiate sheep, but
which was to be translated as bad!
Bad" The callers affected to be
amused, but one of them suddenly re-
membered that she must catch train
in fifteen minutes. SO they departed,
smilIng-as far as the front porch.
Time for supper arrived. Cubby In
sisted that he was to eat everything
that we did. and that his parents al
lowed him TO have pie. While, when
the pie was refused to him, he devoted