Show iii THE WOMAN OF IT I IThe The other day dayAs S SAs As I hurried along the street Great stared staled atme me black headlines st at me I from the newsstands I On either side side side- Great black sinister-looking sinister headlines headlines headlines head head- lines telling of ot the mighty struggle of two vast armies Locked in a battle on which hangs the fate tate o of the WORLD And I passed a girl in a a. flower flower- wreathed hat with a far-away far smile in her eyes and on her curling red lips And an anyone one could see that she was thinking of HIM and of what He lie said and of ot how she was going to meet neet Him that evening evening- And of nothing else in the wide wide world And after her came a fat cheeked matron dragging a fat red cheeked baby in a new brand-new white coat And the only trouble on her mind was the fear that the fat baby might tumble down on Its fat little legs and soil the new white coat Oh she WAS proud of that coat coat and that baby And next came a beautiful live plate fashion all gloriously marsell mar- mar sell selled d and t tailored and and groomed Who Vho glanced with a self satisfied smirk into the mirror like depths of every shop window at her perfect silhouette sil sU sli- sli And I knew she was making a new in her mind her mind and herself gown picturing herself herself her- her self knocking them all insensible at attea attea attea tea That afternoon And in her wake trudged a stolid middle-aged middle woman woman- a huge market basket filled with brown paper packages And she stopped in front of a green greengrocers greengrocer's greengrocers greengrocer's greengrocers greengrocer's grocers grocer's stand and stood gazing with puckered lips and brows at atthe the tempting tempt tempt- ing lug heaps of lettuce and peas and spring onions and scarlet radishes And it was perfectly apparent that the one VITAL question in all the universe universe universe uni uni- verse to her herVas Was Vas whether to have beans or cauliflower cauli catill- flower lower for dinner and whether or not she could afford an artichoke And after atter her tripped three laughing laughing laugh laugh- ing schoolgirls Their eyes turned longingly back to the confectioners confectioner's window And their souls hanging desperately on the great pink and yellow sign painted in the magic words words- ICE CREAM SODA And I glanced again at the great groat black staring headlines on the newsstands newsstands newsstands news news- stands And thought of the FREEDOM of the whole WORLD WORLD WORLD-at at stake at that moment moment- And of ot the mighty drama being en- en over oyer there And then I I thanked heaven For Por the strange quirk in the feminine tem fern I mine mind Which makes it possible for a woman woman wom worn I an to live in LITTLE THINGS THINGS- To absorb To-absorb absorb herself In love and fash- fash I I Ions lons and food tood and babies and cooking Right in the midst of a great tragedy tragedy trag trag- i edy And Im I'm sure aute that way back In the stone age When Whet Man the fighter came rush rush- rushing rushing ing in to tell of ot his battles and conquests conquests conquests con con- quests Woman the maker home merely cried anxiously Walt Wait a minute dear until I see If ir the bear meat is burning burning and and DONT DON'T wake the he baby And And no doubt as th they y fled before before the Angel with the flaming sword Eve care carefully tully led Adam over the rocks with one hand And fixed her back hair with the theother theother theother other And I dont don't know whether its it's littleness littleness little little- ness or bigness or Just humanness But anyway that queer little quirk In her mind mindI Is a Romans Roman's Womans Woman's SAVING GRACE GRACE- I And it helps keep the world sane |