The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-11-04
SHORT
SHORT
STORY
really admired

MdTIIla ana 6enFy we're DTlGI ana
fragmentary. He told her with some
apologies that he had a hardware
store. He tried to find out what she
did, but she just said she worked
in an Office" Then one of the
boarders let it drop that this Martha
worked as an editor of the Home
Helper-most popular woman's
magazine among the feminine con-
tingency of the boarding house. But
Martha would not discuss her work.
Henry felt a deep desire to read
anything that Martha might have
written, or even anything that Mar
tina might have edited; so since
Martha would not discuss her work
he read every word of the magazine
that nearly put him to sleep as he
sat in his room before retiring.
He read how to make attractive
table decorations out of old burnt
matches and new potatoes; how to
minister to your children when
teething; he informed himself on the
latest thing in vanity bags for eve
ming; he studied the vitamin content
of an average American dinner. But
all the time he did not even admit
to himself that he was in love with
Martha. He just approved of her.
One day at dinner Henry was
wishing that he was a glib sort of
man who could chatter idly with a
girl until somehow he had brought
| 4Ia Of hn TN1n
and had asked her to go to see a
show with him-or else that Martha
was little more laxative. He had
eaten his tablespoon or so of luke
warm soup, had managed to eat the
corn beef, cabbage and mashed tur-
nips and was now wondering wheth-
er there would be lemon meringue
pie or Brown Betty. Idly he pushed
aside his dish of salad, a few dur
able looking pieces of lettuce, two
thin slices of anemic tomato and a
dab of very stiff, very pale mayon-
naise.
'Oh, you ought to eat your salad"
reproved Martha. 81 noticed that
you have pushed it back before, and
1 intend to scold you. You won't
have enough vitamins unless you
eat something fresh and green"
IT ENRY'S heart missed a beat or
IL two. To think that this WON
derful girl actually noticed what he
ate or didn't eat-to think that she
was Interested So they fell to talk
ing of salad. Henry said he liked
a good salad, all made with nice
crisp, curly lettuce leaves, with a
well-miXed French dressing, but
that he could get along without this
boarding house mixture.
Weeks sped on, and the acquaint-
ance ripened, very, very, slowly.
Henry Thatcher ate his lettuce de-
voutly, no matter how tough and
green the leaves were that fell to
his lot. Meantime they sat side by
side and each wished that the other
was more responsive.
Then on opening a new issue of
the Home Helper, Henry Thatcher
turned to full page devoted to the
merits of salads. He thought he de-
tected some suggestion of Martha's
personality in the wording of it.
There was discussion of various
sorts of salads, and finally an offer
of hundred-dollar prize for an orig
inal salad that, in the estimation
of the editors, was the best submit
ted. A month later when the con-
test closed Henry Thatcher was
much surprised to have Martha Ives
rap at the door.
She told him of their salad con-
test. 1--WE had a clerk open mail
from all contestants and copy the
recipes without letting us editors see
the name or address of the person.
We didn't want to be prejudiced in
any way. After long elaboration
we decided on your salad! After
we had narrowed down to twenty
five, we had them all made and then
tasted them, and your salad was
chosen by unanimous vote-before
we even knew that a man had orig
mated it. The mixture of grape
fruit and picked beets-and that de-
Gcious dressing. 1t was wonderful
How did you ever think of ito"
TT ENRY THATCHER look e d
= L fused, looked at the ceiling,
and then looked at Martha. "Weil,
just made it up out of whole CLOTH"
he said. I'D no idea what it would
taste like. l just read a recipe book
and found out what sort of things
had been used together before and
made up something a little differ
ent. It might have tasted like the
dickens"
"But it didn't" said Martha.
Sand the hundred dollar prize is
coming to you"
eff had my way" he said, "that
hundred dollars would go with few
hundred besides to buy an engage
ment ring for the girl want to
marry"
Just what Martha said and what
! Henry said next they both soon for
got, tlt by the time they had gone
out to dinner that night plans we're
made for o wedding in the spring.