Evening star., 1941-08-10
Il Short Story Complete on This Page
" HERE is just no pleasing Gertrude

hundred dollars. Ridiculous she said For
two hundred dollars we can buy wallpaper
and set of dishes and pots and pans and a
correspondence course and carpet sweeper"
So had to take the ring back, and when
the man didn't want to return the down pay
ment, Gertrude went around and got it from
him. He was very hard man to do business
WITH but Gertrude got the money. With it
she bought dustpan, two mops, an ironing
board and an electric toaster. Wholesale
And then when we got married and lived
in the two and "a ballroom fiat on Williams
Street, she kept on being hard to please
| mean Gertrudes such peach of looking
woman. white complicated, with kind of chest
nit hair and all, it seemed shame to have
her moving furniture and putting her hands
in dishwater So tried to kind of help.
But there's no pleasing Gertrude. you
keep out of my Kitchen" she'd say. 1--WE
are all set out for you"
The books were correspondence course
| worked for Grover Bros, Inc, and Ger
trude wanted me to become a bookkeeper
Sometimes Id get pretty sleepy, studying
but Gertrude sat in the same room with me-
turning the collars on my shirts. She never
let me quit before Id done my lesson.
But it's the anniversaries that really want
to talk about. Every time my parents had an
anniversary, my father used to give my moth
er five pound box of chocolates and dozen
roses. If he wasn't working at the time he'd
just charge the presents Even if he hadn't
been working for long time and we were
living more or less on potatoes, he wouldn't
forget my mother on their anniversary. And
when he was working, he'd always give her
an evening gown in addition to everything
else, so that after a while she had lot of
evening gowns. If my father had only earned
more money, she would have got chance to
wear them sometimes.
mean, my father was very thoughtful
AND that's the way | wanted to be. So
when our first anniversary rolled around,
had dozen roses sent to the house, and after
work came home with a fve-pound box of
assorted chocolates. figured could afford
the presents, because Id been promoted to
bookkeeper - somebody told Mr.. Hanford
I'd been studying bookkeeping.
But do you think Gertrude was pleased
with the gifts? Ridiculous" she said. do
you know we're two hundred dollars in debit"
But, Gertrude, it's our anniversary"
Il know" She was quiet for minute, and
she looked at me kind of tender-like. You're
sweet, Henry" she said, but if you wanted
to remember our anniversary, why didn't
you get me house dresses or a decent-sized
kettle or nice warm blanket"
Well, golly!
She kept the stuff. though, noticed. But
she said it was terrible for her budget She
claimed those presents and the Christmas
gifts Id bought for all our relatives kept us
for whole month from moving into the nice
four r-room flat on Mt. Vernon Street
Well, by the next anniversary I'd got two
raises and | was in line for an auditors job.
Somehow MIR. Hanford had found out that
Gertrude had me studying auditing now
So for the second anniversary bought
Gertrude a lot of silk underwear and an
evening gown and new comb, brush and
mirror set, and of course the chocolates and
roses.
She didn't like it at all. Henry" she said.
Il don't want you to buy me any more of
this useless stuff
We'll, don't you want me to remember
you on our anniversary" asked her
Not this way. Id like a new ironing pad
- .lxyb