Show s i i the mussel wife of saint anno anne by Kathi trine eggleston roberts robert copyright 1920 western newspaper union anlo they stole my beer pump those germani she set the bowl bonni of steaming mussels before me with L lilt a thud thild and how flow can a person keep a good tavern without ii a beer pump her bands rested on her broad hips tind she gaam over saint annes uneven street at tho the cathedral tower in III antwerp across the out on the cobble cobblestones tones thin legged children played hin kelen a sort ot of hopscotch hop scotch their wooden shoes that flopped lit itt the heels made the racoe game difficult and exciting they shouted and jumped high to avold avoid the lines near the waters edge two tino girls washed mussels in a woollen wooden tub and piled them into palls sails of little fishing alshin boats bents dipped and darted in the sparkling blue water and a puffing pu flins yellow packet boat steamed sedately toward saint anne 1 I remember very well nell when it looked as though the whole town 0 of antwerp was wai going to burn up and the refugees came across the pontoon bridge down don there in droves they left by the road up behind the hill and then those germans came I 1 never hope to see sec such another four years she shut het her lips in a straight line and shook her head many are the pieces of bread find and cheese I 1 brought hoine sewed in my skirt and the I 1 stuffed in luy fay walt thank gs that times past but its bad 1 enough now everything Ever thins thing needs fix ing I 1 dont know it if that floor there beside you Is real safe set I 1 noticed the hie boards fit well it look very strong I 1 agreed and milled my chair no we took it up to tilde hide a mattress under there but a german come in before we got it fixed ile he stumbled into antl the hole bole and broke his ankle and the he ends of the board a little it was the same man mail who took my leer beer pump she sighed but not for the ankle minna she turned to the stooping girt girl who was scrubbing the entryway and backing steadily with her feet wide aport as she scrubbed pd a peculiar crablike motion inot lon minna stop slotting sloshing shing thing that water wafer so so and dont use so much soap use more force minnas flaxen pigtails pintails pig tails ceased their rhythmic swing as ahe he halted and still stooping stoop ln turned round liliie blue eyra eyes I 1 A 4 M A wa va in flames on her aunt who nho continued boded think soap was cheap the way youre using it the round eyes regarded her t till she had finished then dien turned hack back to the floor and without a word ianna recommenced her aquatic movements dents the whole neat bare room hail had that flint f freh re damp odor of a belgian saturday the rnoden vo ciden tops of the empty deal trebles were n porous with frequent ablutions anti the poll polished shed blue and white crockery shone on the long high b bir bar ir the mussel wife came over to see it I 1 had alt all I 1 wanted soap she was still indignant thais just one thing E Every vory things so high a person cant live let alone wear vear enough clothes I 1 wore out all I 1 had during the war and now I 1 dont know what were going to do id hane hae to sell a couple hundred steins of beer or more before I 1 could buy any dress at all and then it mould nt wear near long but imhaus w lints the we of buying clothes it if youre going to starve to death A body needs meat more than once a week but we cant have it and then again tile the ue uce u e of trying to buy food it if youre going to freeze to death left th its a choice I 1 guess she made her way w ay with long hilt flat footed steps to see if minna was nus n us employing more force than soap on tile green tavern sign however she s he return returned in time to collect the small bill customers are mighty few now people cant spend much on lunches A sigh came from the depths of her its hard on us who depend on lem cm but its the bustness business my husband left roe me she went to the bar to get my change the place moving aside aalde a piece of 0 tile the mussel wife ife polli pointed polluted ted to it a square hole on the bar it stood there bright and shiny id get along so much better betler it if they stolen my beer pump th those ose germans T eirls M R 0 1 17 sr r evl N a vi AXI akl 15 ak ax Is k N 91 M VT 17 and then thosa germans came tants to their town will hanc hae to be taken into consideration it Is to be hoped chilt the burgomasters burg plon plan for the rebuilding of the whole town in clouding the cloth hall ball and the cathe dral will not materialize but nothing will prevent the inhabitants from going bad bach to their old houses and restoring them to tile liest best of their abilities while regretting from it purely artistic point of view that the present ensemble cl of the grandest pile of ruins rented create by the war will not be entirely preserved every belgian will feel happier happle I 1 to think that even here in the most desolate spot of this desolate country roii local pride and love of the clock tower proved stronger than the german guns and that tile the cock will crow again and children laugh where shells of every description burst ceaselessly for four nears ears amid tile the clatter of falling failing debris anille cammaerts in yale It elew |