The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1942-07-24
Taking After Dad
By CATHARINE FOSS
Mcclure syndicate-wNU serviceJ
GLE CERTAINLY doesn't take

GLE CERTAINLY doesn't take
II after me-" Grant Frain,
stretching his six-foot-two, watched
his eight-year-old son coming across
the wide lawn.
As if she had read his thought,
Dorothy Frain looked up from her
sewing. 1.-The Physical Ed. Instruc-
tor at Jamie's school says he'll prob
ably shoot up all of a sudden when
he's q little older" She sighed.
Goodness knows ] hope so. He is
30 sensitive about being the ittlest
one in the class.
'Is he the ittlest one?"
eyes. And no one ever gives him
q chance to forget it. could just
choke people who ask how old he is,
and they say, Is he really?'"
Grant nodded. II guess was just
as sensitive about always being the
biggest one when I was a kid. !
got so hated to meet people. They'd
always say, is he only twelve?'-or
fourteen, OF whatever it was-'my,
my, what a big boy!'" Although he
Sdlu IL III llulllO1OQS AAO(hCAyS G1C
recollection brought with it a sting
ing sense of rebellion. Funny how
kids took things so seriously, he
thought
Jamie came up to his mother.
She looked down at his Knockers
hanging almost to his ankles. :Oh,
for goodness sake, jamie" she pro-
tested, pull up your Knockers. They
look awful like that" She shook her
head. They look awful, anyway.
I think they are about the ugliest
garment ever designed"
Jamie looked up into his mothers
face and grinned, but obediently
buckled up the offending Knockers.
isn't it about time to be going,
Mom?" he asked.
Eyes, l guess you'd better start
dressing now" She looked over at
Grant. There is a fete this after
noon at the school, she explained.
Jamie was frowning. what do
you mean, Mom-dress? Aren't /
just going to wear these clothes?"
"Why, certainly not. This is a
sort of party. Besides, your knick-
ers are much too dirty. I'm going
to take them to the cleaners this
afternoon.
"Oh, heck" There was real con-
sternation in the child's face. What
am l going to wear, then? haven't
anything else"
Your blue serge shorts, of
course"
Jaw, NOM" Grant was a little
annoyed to see the expression Of
well, of panic-that spread over his
sons face. mot my shorts"
Dorothy always said that Jamie
was the most tractable child she had
ever known. You can always make
him see reason" she would say. "if
you just take the time"
And Dorothy did take the time.
She was a very capable mother. AS
for himself, Grant had neither time
nor patience to work out the prob
lens of child-training.
He looked back at Dorothy and
Jamie. Jamie had thrown himself
on the grass, and was crying hyster-
ically. Dorothy stood over him,
flushed and trembling.
Grant rose with a quick, annoyed
movement. His trouser leg caught
on a rough piece of reed in the wick
er chair. As he reached down to
loosen it, long-forgotten incident
rushed into his mind with the in
tensity of recent crisis. On just
such piece of reed he had deliber-
ately snagged pair of smooth black
knickers!
It all came back to him then.
He was fourteen and six feet tall.
His mother had taken him to the
best tailor in. the city and had
tuxedo made for him with knickers!
And he had gone to dance-a
ball it was called-in that tuxedo.
The twenty years since that night
were wiped away in the shame and
rebellion which engufed him. He
had gone out onto the roofgarden
adjoining the ball room and snagged
the hated pants beyond repair. And
his mother had taken him home.
Grant moved toward the shaking
little figure with long, rapid strides
and tapped small shoulder. "Come
up here, son." he said evenly.
The sobbing ceased.
Jamie turned a grimy, tear
stained face and looked question
ingly at his father. Then he scram-
bled to his feet.
Grant put hand on his shoulder.
Now" he said gently, "if you
think you can be quiet long enough,
III tell you what you and are
going to do" He looked down into
the small puzzled face. "You and
are going to take the car and
go up to the store, and buy a pair
of corduroy knickers for school, and
a pair of serge knickers for par
ties. And" Grant leaned toward the
boy and spoke in confidential whis-
per, ION the way over, we viii drop
three perfectly good" here he