Glacier County chief., 1940-04-12
CHAPTER III

Senator Slopshire did not wait for
the return of Aunt Olympia to begin
getting ready for the children. I'm
mediately after hanging up the re-
ceiver, and hardly waiting long
enough to wipe the moisture from
his glasses, ne called the servants
quarters on the first floor and asked
their maid, Hilda, to come up right
away.
What's the matter, Senator? You
sick?"' she asked dourly.
mo, I'm not sick. / cannot dis
cuss the matter over the telephone.
Come Immediately"
Hilda dressed hastily, with con-
siderable show of irritation, and
went up. Hilda was a tall, angu-
lar, unhappy-looking Scandinavian.
Aunt Olympia described her as
"sour Swede." Next to being an al
most superlative housekeeper and
cook, disapproval was Hilda's out
standing characteristic.
They could hardly have got along
without Hilda. She took entire
charge of their apartment in Wash
and assumed the same responsible
ty for the household when they were
at home. She cooked, she cleaned,
she marketed, she sewed.
She found the Senator standing
distractedly in the center of the floor
rubbing his glasses. He put them
on at sight of her and began to
give orders.
Nov, we'll have to get beds made
up for them and we'll have to have
in breakfast cereals and nourishing
food and order more milk"
Hilda did not show surprise; she
had always considered him mildly
crazy anyhow.
For the children" he explained
belatedly. "Our poor dear children
are coming to live with u.s."
What time they getting in?"
asked Hilda.
II don't know yet. Two or three
days, l suppose. She said some
thing about a week but there's no
use waiting"
''I'll attend to the beds and I'll
order oatmeal. Good night, Sena-
tor" said Hilda coldly and with
| drew.
The Senator dressed nervously
and went downstairs to talk things
over with the management. 1t was
only eleven o'clock and certainly no
time should be lost.
The manager was more sympa-
thetic auditor than Hilda. He agreed
with the Senator that the children's
place was certainly right there in
the Shoreham with the Senator and
suggested fixing up nice nursery
adjoining their apartment.
| The Senator's enthusiasm did not
wane overnight. He was on the SUBJ
ject again before breakfast the next
morning.
I'm not sure we get enough sun
here for children" he complained to
Hilda. I'll speak to the manage
ment about it . We'd better get
our fresh eggs from the country
hereafter Remind me, Hilda, to
ask the Health Department to send
me their books on bringing up chill
dren."
He arrived early at his office in
the Senate Office Building and in
formed his secretaries and clerks
that he wanted things Strengthened
up around there and put in good
order without delay.
THE children will be down here
with me good DEAL" he said, land
l want them to get the habit of or
derliness at an early age. And
you'd better order in some good
magazines and books so if they get
tired they'll have something on hand
to amuse them. And call the custo-
dian right away and tell him need
more chairs, and want good chairs
and comfortable chairs. Some of
| these government chairs would give
! young back curvature of the spine.
They almost give me curvature of
the spine"
He suggested to his fellow COM
mittee members that he would like
them to hurry along and clear up
the calendar as fast as they could,
as he would have to spend a great
deal of time with his children from
this on.
He went shopping, too, and had
great many things sent up, most of
which Hilda returned without COM
ment.
On the whole it was a relief to him
when Olympia returned home and
he could turn things over to her.
Olympia was ready. Having pom
dered certain matters deeply in her
innermost consciousness all the way
home by train, she was ripe for
action.
del, want to ask your advice
about something. About those Door
dear children. Do you think we
should take larger apartment or
should we move into a house?"