The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-04-01
NC1c-7's Little
Bog
By ESTHER MUGCINS
G Associated Newspapers.
WNU Service.

COIlIHlS HOIIle lIOIn Lnree-Qdy "Trip.
Ella had been watching the elevated
trains for twenty minutes before she
saw his signal-the newspaper held
| crosSWise on the window of the
| train.
Just as he opened the lower door
of the hallway Ella heard Mrs.
Mink's door open. Mrs. Mink was
new tenant in the apartment be-
low. The agent of the building and
the Janitor said she was a well-to-
do widow, jolly and generous to a
degree. 1t turned out when Mrs.
Mink's household goods were being
moved into the apartment that Ed
and she had been classmates at
| grammar school. =
On the strength of this ancient
acquaintance Mrs. Mink had cheer
fully called in Ed to settle a differ
ence of opinion between her tally
ing of the hours it had taken the
moving men and the hours set down
by the men themselves. And every
time that Ed had gone in or out of
the building since that first day Mrs.
Mink had managed to have some
excellent reason for stopping him.
Now Ella heard the soft voice of
Mrs. Mink say gently:
"Oh, Neddyl Could you stop for
a moment? My gold clock simply
won't go and I've been poking at it
all day just waiting for you to come
in. l knew you'd be able to make
it rum"
"Why-why, sure thing" Eds
voice answered.
Neddy! Ella herself never called
him Neddy; he always complained
that it was a sissy name for a he
man. 1t was all right to be neigh
borly, of course. But when man
! has been away for three days it is
laying it on bit thick to stop him
before he has had time for mari
tai kiss. There was scant time to
think much about this, however, for
the door across the hall opened and
! Alicia Graves ran across with her
baby in her arms.
1.-THE dentist just telephoned to
me that if l come right away he
can pull those two impacted wisdom
teeth for me. I'd have asked YOU
before made the appointment def
initely only l saw Ed coming and
he has such way with Nancy"
Alicia's voice trailed away into
nothingness.
'It's all right, of course" said
Ella mechanically.
Il like to be neighborly back and
forth" said Alicia brightly.
1t ran across Elias mind-Ella
| had no babies to leave with neigh
bors-that most of the neighborli-
ness lay just forth and never back.
When twenty minutes had passed
and Ed had not come upstairs a
plan formed itself in Elias mind
Had Mrs. Mink been elderly anG
plain and poor, Ella would have
thought nothing of Eds staying so
long. But Mrs. Mink was right up
to the minute or jump ahead into
the next minute; her hair was al
ways beautifully waved and her
nails were glossy and rosy.
Ella had tried to call on the new
conner since Ed had once been a
classmate, but no one had answered
the door.
And now she rose to her feet, de-
termined to carry out the plan that
had come, unbidden, into her mind.
Downstairs she raped at the
door smartly and then, the door
being ajar, walked boldly in,
through the hallway to the living
room, where she heard Eds voice.
On one hip she carried the neigh
Dor child, Nancy, who was still
clutching her bottle and in need of
sundry attentions. In her free
hand Ella carried a bag of baby
necessities.
Her face was serene and happy
as she spoke to Ed without a glance
toward Mrs. Mink.
''I'm going up to the movie
matinee, Neddy darling" she muir
INJURED. Here's Nancy and the
baby things, dearest. l knew you'd
be glad to take care of Baby-or
your friend will while you fix her
clock. I'm coming to call on you
| one of these days." she finished,
turning toward Mrs. Mink brightly.
II think it's so nice to be neighbor-
ly-back and forth, don't your"
There was brief glance toward
the baby that betokened coming
afternoons with Mrs. Mink watching
the child. .
"Please don't leave the child
here" said Mrs. Mink in a chilly
voice, entirely unlike the voice with
which she had greeted Ed. II dis
like babies intensely. l didn't know
Neddy had babies!"
"Oh, do your" drawled Ella gent
ly, her eyes wide with horror and
surprise. well, fix it any way you
like, Neddy dearest. If Pm not
back for dinner you'll know | met
Irene at the show. She has been
asking me over to dinner for
weeks
1t was barely six o'clock when
Ella returned to the apartment. Ed
was sheepishly preparing dinner,
Nancy sitting on the big dictionary