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Show I FEATHER IN HER HAT By Evelyn Witter JARCIA TOLLSON placed the 11 .ed feather on the red beret with a vengeance. Tonight, she decided, de-cided, she would explode her bombshell bomb-shell at her husband and the two boys. It wasn't that she didn't love them. She adored them. It was that the was tired of doing and doing fox thern without thanks or appreciation. Now she decided to "do" for herself. She'd heigh off to New York and have herself a time. See the places they were always al-ways talking about on TV. Of course Carl and the boys might object to having to take care cf themselves for a couple of weeks, arid to her spending the bank account, ac-count, but after all she had given up a new spring outfit for baseball togs, and had done without a winter win-ter coat for meat In the freezer. Lately she'd finished three handmade hand-made Western shirts after hours of painstaking stitching. If they bad said "Thanks!" she would have felt It was all worth It. Just then the back door slammed open and Jerry and Jack breezed In. Marcia- realized they looked older than their early teen ages. She had done well by them. They were taller than she and the turtle-necked turtle-necked T shirts, hugging their bodies, showed muscular development. develop-ment. "HI Momf" they greeted her with grins. "Dad home yet? Why don't you turn on TV?" Jack switched the knob. Marcia had to smile at the sight ot them. They were really real-ly good boys. Just too unapprecia-Uve. unapprecia-Uve. She heard Carl come up the back s.eps and 'put his lunch pail on the kitchen table. "Hi ya, honey!" he called. Carl was a flee man, but he did take her too much for granted . . . "Got the right channel?" Carl checked the set and sat down. "What's this program you want to see so badly?" Marcia turned toward Carl. She thought there was a mist In his eyes, but she couldn't be certaip because he looked down. gave her hand a little squeeze and said: "Wait and see." The announcer began: "And now Rootle-TooUe, presents your Good Scout program. Each week Rootie-Tootle Rootie-Tootle chooses the best letter of a hundred-fifty words or less, telling who is the best good scout you know. The winning Best Scout receives re-ceives a round trip to New York.; a suite at the Waldorf, a complete outfit designed by none other than Howe and Lopas, dinner . . ." Marcia sighed. Even the whole bank account couldn't go that far for her. But go she would. The announcer was taking a paper pa-per from his pocket. He was saying: say-ing: "This week's winning letter reads as follows: 'We nominate our mother who is the best Good Scout any boys ever had. She does more for us than is necessary In the usual line cf duty. We can bring one of the fellows or the whole team home after games, and she always' lays out a spread. But then she always says "yes" to us If it is at all possible. She likes to go places and wear pretty clothes, but she takes care of us first, which means sometimes she goes without. Her newest good deed is three cowboy shirts all made by hand We'd like to say "Thanks" in a big way by having her elected, the best Good Scout of the week.' This letter is signed ... Jerry and Jack Toll soil ' " Marcia sat numbed.' The blood pounded through her in fast throbs. Her heart wanted to sing while the tears of long pent up feelings spilled over and ran down her cheeks. She opened her arms and the boys came into, them, kneeling kneel-ing before her with expectant, upturned up-turned faces. Carl kissed her band. Marcia pulled the red feather off the beret in a single yank. "I won't need this now," she giggled. "The real feather In my hat is your love and appreciation!" Happiness flooded over Marcia Tollson as martyredoxn left. |