Carbon County news., 1937-07-16

In the beginning Victoria woulC
laugh at such Whimsicalities. But
her mother had not been long he1
guest before she discovered that
they were partly true; Magda really
never did make any effort, or as,
sumo any responsibility, except to
interest and please men. She
would not be left alone at home al
night with the children, even though
they were all asleep in their beds.
Zone of them would set something
on fire, and then you'd think de.
lberately killed the lott" she plead
ed, and the mere suggestion of this
calamity prevented Victoria from
ever urging the arrangement.
For the rest, It was astonishing
to discover that Magda's self-re-
spect had suffered no whit by her
long and exciting career.
In the beginning Of the European
experiences. Lucius Farmer had be-
come strange. He had been a de-
1ightful person Ia Tahiti and Ma
1orca' but somehow southern Ger
many had affected him badly. 1T
wasn't his fault but ne didn't really
have quality, VIC, Magda ex-
planned it, generously. He wasn't
a gentleman; IT simply wasn't
there! Perhaps ] was to blame for
thinking that It ever was"
Victoria listened on, scrambling
as she did so along the line of the
sitting-roon1 bookcases, taking out
children's books, matching sets,
stacking the volumes neatly. Now
and then she sat back on her heels,
smiling at her mother. Magda busy
with a nail file and a tiny pair Of
scissors, occasionally in her turn
raised her eyes from her hands
and looked seriously at Vic, while
without anger or resentment she re-
counted the strange actions of Lu-
cius Farmer. After all she, Magda,
had done for him, he had been un-
appreciative enough to desert her.
As the days went by, and Vic
found herself drawn more and more
under her mothers influence, af-
fected more and more by her moth.
er's point of view. she found it in.
creasingly difficult to maintain her
own standing: the solid earth rocked
a little sometimes beneath her feet.
Poor faded Mummy with nothing
to show for all the fiattered. roman
tic years, the presents and the
checks, the beautiful lace and the
beautiful gownsMurnmy couldn't
be entirely right ii her preposterous
ideas and attitudes, but there were
moments when Victoria felt uneas-
lily that perhaps she wasn't entirely
wrong, either.
Mummy. for one very important
thing, thought that having more
than one or two children was a
mistake. It was q forgivable mis-
take. For you have them so cas-
lily, Vic, and you do adore them so.
But / tell you it's selfish. You'll
lose him!" ~ss ~z>
Victoria felt that she could afford
to laugh at this. According to
mummy every man between the
ages or sixteen and elghty was IN"
terested 70 any REASONABLY pretty
woman, anywhere everywhere at
an tlInes ana seasons NO VINE was
safe!
But Magda was not to pe laugheo
out OF ner posltlon' sone SAID
tnougntIuIy: women must go
crazy about MIN. Hes stunning!
Hes 1erty-tnree! VIC Iaugneo'
and ne mas a large 1anllly ana the
hardest surgery pracuce IN the
city. .#.
Forty-three. He's not at the dam
gerous age yet" Magda mused. is
anyone specially crazy about nlm!
aere's always some woman tel"
epnonlng, VIC answered. a unaIarn-
eoIv KNOW tne signs put ne
doesn't take tnem seriously.
Magda was hardly nstenng; ner
eyes were narrowed IN speculatlon'
IT don't think any woman gets
hold Of a man." Vic submitted, COM
fortably relaxed in big chair now,
with her feet stretched out before
her. II don't believe any woman
loses her husband because some
other woman wants him, she sub
stituted, beginning again. Her