The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-02-27

In the bathroom by the chatte,
Aunt Phoebe and Lady Esketh
began to understand each other.
Aunt Phoebe brought cotton un-
derwear, which Lady Esketh had
not seen since the pinched days
long ago when she had lived in a
Florentine pension with a bank
rupt father, and dress of calico
which she had never seen in all
her life. a dress which was simply
two pieces of cloth sewn together
with sleeves by Gujerati dress
maker who had squatted on the
veranda floor while he made il.
Aunt Phoebe felt sudden shy
ness, not because Lady Esketh was
fashionable or because she was
rich or because she was the god
daughter of Queen, but because
she was called Lady" Esketh.
Aunt Phoebe had never called any
one Lady" in her life, and in
spite Of knowledge remote and
somewhat vague. that there We're
such things as titles, II seemed to
her that IT was silly thing to
call any one Lady" Esketh or
Lady Smith or Lady Jones. Her
shyness was born of the unwill-
ingness of her tongue to pronounce
the word Lady" so in all their
conversations she simply ad-
dressed Lady Esket as you"
Almost at once Lady Esketh
had asked. Who are the two
women in the kitchen" and Aunt
Phoebe had responded. The one
in sheets is Mrs. Hoggett-Egbu bury.
She's the wife of the bank man.
ager. The other is Mrs. Simon.
the wife of the other missionary"
The one who has daughter
called Fern >"
Yes" said Aunt Phoebe. The
poor thing has lost her other
daughter and her husband. They
were killed"
''oh. I'm sorry"
For moment the unreal horror
of the reality returned, making
them both mute.
There was a long silence, and
then Lady Esketh, who had quite
shamelessly taken off all her
clothes and was standing beside
the chattee, said. Have you heard
of what has happened to the hos
pital9 ,"
NO. Nobody knows anything.
/ sent one of the boys to find out.
but he never came back"
II don't know whether by own
husband Is alive or dead He was
Ill in the old Summer Palace"
Aunt Phoebe ought, Poor
thing" and then knew at once
that her thought was merely con-
ventional Whatever happened to
this strange woman standing there
dousing herself with cold water
from the chattee. she would never
be a poor thing. So she said. II
expect that tomorrow things will
be better"
Then Aunt Phoebe left Lady
Esketh with the clothes.
In 4 little while. dressed in the
calico frock. she came in the
kitchen and Aunt Phoebe thought,
TITS wonderful what difference
there is in the way people wear
clothes" In the calico dress which
fitted her no better than II had
fitted Mrs. Smiley. for whom II
had been made, Lady ESketh
somehow looked smart. or at least
she looked what Aunt Phoebe sup
posed to smartness 10 be. for il
had never been a subject in which
she had taken any great interest.
Lady Esketh said, If there's
anything / can do TO help. you
must tell me what il is. I'm not
very clever. but I'd like TO help.
j don't care what"
Aunt Phoebe started to say that
she could manage and that there
wasn't any reason 10 spoil the
looks Of the lovely white hands
with the lacquered nails. but be-
fore she could speak. Lady Esketh
said. Il really mean IL. You see,
/ want To be useful / want TO do
something
And into her voice and into the