The Washington times., 1938-02-01
"MaI0ney, Says Il
Bv EDITH BROWN KIRKWooD

By EDITH Bro
"There's no place like a hos
they tell us, and, says I, thel
the tellin' of 'em, either. IT
about their operations and the
"Tis the things they tell tha
have been locked up in their heart!
for years, away from the eyes anc
the ears of every one. For some
reason of other, most sick people
pour out secrets that I'd be willin
to bet they've never told before
unless they were whispered in the
confessional.
"Mrs. Maloney and I had been
lyin' in beds, side by side, up in
the far corner of the old General S
big ward. for so many weeks that
we'd turned our souls inside out
to each other.
"Well, Maloney," says, laughin'
one day when 1 was feelin' better,
"you and I've got to walk straight
from now on. If either of us ever's
called as witness against the
other, the Lord help the victim!
We've convicted ourselveS!"
"That'S right, Starkey," she
says, I'm only hopin' st. Peter
hasn't been listenin'!"
GOING TO BE DULL NOW
"Unless there's something you've
forgot" says I, cts goin' to be
dull from now on, for I've divided
my every thought, and act, and
happenin' into thrillin' chapters
for your entertainment and I've
got to live some more before
can tell you the rest," says I.
you're tellin' me, Starkey,'
she says, chucklin'. I've been
havin' to stuff my ears for feal
they'd overflow! But I'm won
derin' who's comm into Mrs
Hankey's bed, now she's gone
home. Maybe We'll get somethtn
fresh to talk about then"
"We'll miss Mrs. Hankey," says
I, thinkin'.
THAT was a nice lookin' lady
that come to see her one day
wasn't she?" Mrs. Maloney sighed
wiStful-like. Must be grand te
have such folks keep on remem
BERN YOU"
"Well," says I, tryin' to be
cheerful, "most folks Of quality dt
keep on rememberin' their ole
help. That's the difference betweer
them and upstarts. Mrs. Bryce
now, never forgot any of us-al
ways thought of us at Christmas
time and kept lookin' us up, in be
tween.
ME, with the rest of 'em, and !
was just q young kitchen maiC
when ran away to marry Starkey
She was a swell lady. Guess she's
dead. Sometimes I hope so if al
I've heard about her daughter!
marriage is true"
HOLDING OUT
"Starkey," says Mrs. Maloney
raisin' herself on one elbow, u
look at me, accusin', "have yol
been holdin' out on me? Though
you said you'd told me everything
you knew. What about the Bryc
girl? You've never breathed {
word On that one"
NO" I says, "I haven't. Yol
can tell things as you Shouldn'
on yourselves and your enemies
but when it comes to tellin' tht
sorrows of your friends-well, vol
kinda want to protect 'em."
IT know" says Mrs. Maloney
and didn't urge me to go on.
STILL" says I, almost wishin
that she would, "I don't know a
any harm would be done, for poo
Bianca's dead and gone, and
guess"
And then I thought better Of II
and stopped.
who was Bianca?" asked Mrs
Maloney, quietlike.
"She was the niece" says
"You see Bianca's mother wa
Mrs. Bryce'S sister. She died Whel
Blanca was about two years ol,
and Mrs. Bryce took the little girl
to grow up with her own daughter
Judith, who was a baby about ;
year younger. Mr.. Bryce had diet
that year, too, and she was feelin
pretty lonely.
"Bianca's young father marrie'
again a few years later, but n
was grateful for all Mrs. Bryc
had done for his daughter an
when Blanca begged so hard t.
stay on with Mrs. Bryce an
Judith, he let her stay. There wa
a pile Of money and Blanca har
her mothers share, so expense
didn't figure. Those two littl
girls loved each other as never tw
sisters I ever knew. Both of 'er
beauties from babyhood an
lackIn' no care to make thel
beauty less.
DEBS TOGETHER
Those two girls did everythin
together-never wanted to be Sel
arated, went to the same schools
had the same friends, did tn
same things. That struck me a
funny when first went to ,un,.