The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-01-21

she says It.
hlsek-woman ne. ole hack woman
takin' good care II YOU
Mornings. while ne vas still
asleep ! hurried - the Mage
Street station and took the L
downtown % business school 7 got
IN three hours olaSswork before
noon. then called M 10 sec II
everything was all right Myrtle
always had things under control
set ny school work done in
between this and that. or course I
had TO transonbe the dictation
they'd given is IN the morning.
and do exercises in authorizations
and copy out symbols for special
business phrases. After Myrtle
went hame Id get supper. maybe
read 10 Pop a while or we'd listen
70 the radio. sometimes Mac and
Martha came over from Tioga.
Pop got quite lively about bed
time and liked 70 talk about things
that had happened to him. We
noticed he talked good deal
about Mother When We were
first married. We took a trip vi in
Pike County and found place
called Twin Lakes There was
two little lakes with narrow
strip Of land between. II was hot
and We wanted to 60 in swimming
but NC didn't have any bathing
suits and we was ashamed To 60
in together. So your Mon took
the one pond and l took the other
and We had a good swim. Back
in those days people was awful
sheepish in the daytime. II was
getting a job to work nights that
killed my modesty" ] guess it was
Macs baby coming alone that got
him thinking in a family way.
No matter how sore the old guy
got me sometimes. I admit he was
ALWAYS good company. Some Of his
stories he told too often. and Mac
and I would wink al each other 10
hear him hoke them up as he went
along They always got better The
ono about the rubber doormat on
Frankford Avenue got 10 he quite
a Wild West number. Mother had
nov dress. she was going nv an
open doorway Just after the side-
walk had heen hrsed one hot
morning and the storekeeper with
out looking outside threw down
big doormst. II spattered dirty
water all over her good clothes.
The way Pop first told it, the man
was very decent and paid to have
the dress cleaned But now il got
to be yarn in which the man was
rude and Pop went there and
threatened TO beat him up. They
went inta a clinch and were taken
to the station house That was the
old mans way Of justifying him
self for some of Mothers hard
times guess maybe telling lies
in honor of a lady isn't the worst
kind of chiyalry
He was always tickled about the
time he mended broken rosebud
with adhesive type. 1t vas that
big pink La France rose. that vas
your Mons favorite bush. The big
gest bud got broke in the stalk.
and she carried on about IT, That
bush came with her from German
town; brought a lot of rose-liee
with it. too. Her old man never
knew how 10 treat flowers Any
how ! Strengthened It up with
surgical tape. Mother said II
wouldn't work. but 1t did. When
1t come TO flowers put II in
a cream iJg on her dresser She
was mighty pleased. Now I'm the
broken rosebud myself"
II he thought he was going TO
pull some pathos on US he vas
mistaken. Mac and I laughed and
I said. "Rosebuds don't have
whiskers like that. I'm going to
get in the barber and have you
pruned.'
Myrtle too was good for more
laughs than she knew about. one
day she had TO leave before I got
home. She left a note for me
Miss Kitty. there's mice in the
Popes panty closet. better get
some trap cheese I told Molly
about this in one Of the long let
tiers we exchanged. and she .till
calls her lingerie drawer her panty
closet
u must have been funny 10 see
me trying 10 eaRe the old man or
TO bed. because I'd BE- tired "a nell
by ten O'Clock when he vas feeling
laxative. read him the sleepisst
thing I could find in the Ledger.
where there was plenty 10 choose
from, but they only put him IN .
mind Of adventures of mis- oRrn and
I'd pass into stupor ~ last
he'd say, Well. Kitty. give ne
the three steps Of decency." That's
the three steps you're supposed 70
20 along with friend who's leay-
ing. I'd help him upstairs and FIN
his pipe s. he'd have il ready 70