| Show Alicia Hammersly 1 A VI Woman oman Who Wouldn't Remarry By Idah McGlone Gibson The ne ol Holed d f Alicia Hammersly HammE neo nee Alicia Atwell and commonly called All Is Allx-Is Is telling the abi ab I Barbing story of ot her girlhood She is engaged en en- Kased Jated to Hallet Hammersly On the tho mornin morn morn- In Ins of ol her wedding day she wonders whether she really knows knos the man she is Ia to marry r Alicia's thoughts lead her to seek her mother foi consolation She finds her mother in the I attic seated before an old trunk which is filled c with memories A As Alicia enters lIter mother is fondling a pair of ot baby shoes Alicia's I mother 0 consoles s se her e and points l t out Vl L a happiness r ol to b be found O f In a mar mar- based upon understanding but warns Alicia fl a bf that it Is something very yb different i from m the the day dreams drean of ot an engaged girl Alicia AlIdas a education in matrimony progresses rapidly She learns in surprise that she doesn't really know y her husband Without consulting Alicia Alida Hal plans a a. honeymoon n trip to Niagara Palls Fails Of au all places Alicia didn't want to go th there re but In Hals Hal's arms ehe- ehe she yielded When hen Alicia Alida and Hal arrive at their hotel botel they find tind a. a letter from Hals Hal's father asking him to abandon his honeymoon honeymoon honey- honey moon mOOD and report at the factory where h Is I. urgently nee needed ed Alicia consents but makes an untactful comment Then and there she learned that while a a. wife must b be truthful she must USG use judgment as to to talk Hal hat at last confides In Ia Alicia that his bias hist Income for tor the first year will necessitate tate tUe economy and they must live with his hili parents tor a a. while Alicia was downcast t. t as s Hals Hal's parents had old fashioned Ideas deas ol of what she should do Th They y go for tor a a. ride HELPING H MOTHER MOT ER HAMMERSLY The first first mistake I made with my mj law in and I made many many- WaS was in trying to come to some some sorl sort of an understanding about my duties in the house over which she presided Mother Hammersly had always worked alone atone She was incapable o oj oi f giving orders or of appreciating an work th that t was not done in Just hei hel Y It What would you like Uke me to d de about the house I asked If you cant can't see what is to be done doneAU AU Alicia ia she answered it would hardly hard ly d do any good for me to tell you Suppose pose I keep the front front- rooms I ii it itI order 0 I She hesitated a moment and thel thelt t said ald You inay nay try that if you If you wish Today Toda Is my cleaning da day I attacked the Hying room iwa- iwa away It was spring and the was still raw but I 1 was glad to hay hav air an excuse to open all the windows tec because use the air in that room wa waI sodden odden and heavy One felt sleep I att after r a a half hour in it and It gave gave rn ni nithe the shivers just to go into it H. U TJ t 1 I went the windows and out went th thI I f I rugs in the back yard I felt bette t already The mere fact that I Wa a I doing dIng something made me more c con n t. t e p othe er came camo in just Ju Just t a r I r I i w I Ithe I was down on my knees going over the floor with a rag dampened with I coal oil she oil she had no floor mop or floor oil oU I What are y U doing dohig she ex exclaimed exclaimed ex- ex claimed irritably Cleaning the floor But you dont don't have to open all aU the windows Vs to clean the floor I haven't had those windows open all this win vim ter I help thinking of oC the mothers who sewed their children up In their underclothes at the beginning I of cold weather and an Irrepressible smile curled around the corners of my lips she continued It will I take ake an extra bushel of coal to heat this room up again Where did you get that coal oil I never put oil on I the floors and where are all aU the 1 ru s By this time I 1 was losing my tem tem- per I was doin doing work to which I Iwas Iwas Iwas J I was unaccustomed and my arms were aching my knees were sore my breath coming fas fast from Crom the exertion My ty 1 back seemed about to break but I knew that room was going to get a good airing even if it took a ton of coal to re warm It I wanted that room sweet and clean when I had finished and like girl-like I wished that Mother I her Hammersly would give me the slightest bit of encouragement Instead she caustically continued I You Tou are making more work spending more time and money cleaning up this room than is necess necessary ry i I 1 said nothing because I that if I spoke I would be sure to say someI something something some some- I thing that I would be sorry for In Instead Instead Instead In- In stead I went on steadily working Mother Hammersly stood watching me for Or a moment and then went w-ent out of the room In her very ery walk there 1 was disapproval at It took me most of he the day to clean cleanthe cleanthe 1 the room to my satisfaction How I wanted to throw out a lot of foolish bric-a-brac bric snow brIc-a-brac-snow snow scenes painted on ont t gilded shovels impossible landscapes r placed in the center of oC pie pans and ande e 0 framed motions of oC God Bless Our Home At l last lt st I made the room look lookS S quite presentable I changed the fury fur- fur y 1 II so that you ou could read a book e f It if you had on one to read there read there was not nota P i 1 a book in the room room room-by by putting thee the e easy chair near the lamp on the cenI center cen cen- r I tel ter table Then I placed the sofa soCa by byone bys s 5 one one of the windows Both easy chair and sofa had b been en in impossible places before I viewed ed my efforts with a good d deal al t of oC satisfaction tI n although I was so lame that I 1 could hardly move My knees lm-ees I were black and blue from thumping on the hard floor and my fingers were barked and bruis bruised d. d The room looks better than it ever eer did before before- L I said to myself at and d then I became aware that I was faint with hunger As Hal and his father took their I luncheons downtown Mother Hammersly Hammersly Ham Ham- never prepared lunch contentIng contenting content content- Ing lag ing herself with some bread and butter butter butter but but- ter and a cup of tea which she usually usual usual- ly ate and drank standing at the kitchen kitchen kitchen kit kit- chen table She knew that I didn't drink tea and so she had told me that when I was hungry I could get something to eat cat and ft a glass of milk out of oC the Icebox I looked at the Hie clock and found to tomy tomy tomy my surprise that it was 4 o'clock I I started to get myself something to eat Are you through in the living room Alicia asked my mother in Practically and it really is all warm and nice Yes I went downstairs and stirred up the fire knowing that you would need it it she continued as she left the room After I had sipped my ray glass of milk and eaten a cracker I followed her and found her changing the furniture all back where it was before Again I said nothing but went nt upstairs upstairs up up- stairs to my room thoroughly angry thoroughly discouraged Of OC cour course coure e looking back on that oc occasion occasion occasion oc- oc casion I was wrong to have changed that room but it have been such sucha a little thin thing for tor her to have said to tome tome tome me It looks spick and span Alicia but next time you ou do it I hope you will put the furniture back where it was before You my Seemy e. e my dear I am too old to change and the furniture has been standing In just those places for at least thirty years Continued C tomorrow |
