Show I FICTION rI I LIFE L WITH I JEAN N By HELEN L LANGWORTHY eJ Corner DORIS ORIS WALTERS ran a clean white sheet of paper Into her I typewriter Very determinedly she began Susy Cow was out in the meadow eating the green grass grassi i jh when when when- That was It when what In her minds mind's eye she tried to total all the stories she had written about Susy Cow Timothy Pi Piggie gie and Horatious Horse The stories would reach to the moon of ot that she was sure But they did keep a roof root over the heads of she and her daughter Jean Doris went to the window for inspiration The same dull yard the same dull neighborhood of at the town of East Branch was there She wished desperately that she might write something altogether different but according to the publishers publishers publishers pub pub- lishers the youngest generation had hadnot hadnot hadnot not had their fill nil of at Susy Timothy and Horatious They wanted more Sometime she reflected she would burst out and write something but those too-familiar too epics publishers or no Doris smiled then for from the window she saw year old Jean standing on the corner with Petey They were talking with ith intense in in- terest Doris went to the kitchen end and fixed a thick sandwich in readiness for Jean She reflected that for one so dreamy looking so ethereal Jean had no loss of ap up- petite ti She practically marched to the typewriter then determined that Susy Cow would be doing something something something some some- thing before Jean breezed in As it happened an idea hit Doris an idea so overwhelming that she sat cat and whistled like Jean Could she She would She was whizzing away at her typewriter when Jean came in Hullo Jean called loudly Tm Im starved Theres a sandwich Doris answered answered an nn- shortly and went on typing Jean munched the sandwich and asked Got an idea for dear dear Horatious at last Yes Brand new Doris answered an- an absently clicking away Jean was in the mood for conversation canS con con- S r and altho she might have t ft noticed that her mother had a faraway far- far 1 t away look she had to tell her the sr school gossip Alice had a new I dress on called it a rag but she 1 was careful to let the label show Petey liked me in bangs but j t Chu Chuck k says it puts me in hi the I e I kiddie car class class class- youre you're not f listening be surprised what a good listener I am Doris answered but Jean turned on the radio full ull blast then and Doris resumed typing 1 Days passed Jean talked this i day of at Petey that day of Chuck and d forever worried whether she looked kiddie kiddle car young or hideously J old even twenty Cant you forget the year seven-year- olds and concentrate on the 17 1 year-old year she asked plaintively after atter finding Doris typing for many days This story is is different Maybe I ought to tell you you you- Doris began But J Jean e n clapped her hands over her ears and ran from the room Spare me the details Ive I've positively positively heard my last Horatious yarn She grinned wickedly Just let me help with the check There was a reward for Doris' Doris tired fingers lingers the day the publishers wired her that the synopsis had been altogether satisfactory and to i rush the completed manuscript S' S They sent an advance that left Doris dizzy r Im made Jean she crowed Its It's easy street for us from now on Jean picked up the check un un- believingly Did Timothy and Horatious do this Oh I love cm em to pieces What will we buy first That evening there was no typing for Doris and Jean mentally spent thousands maybe millions We ought to move to New York Doris told Jean Im sick of at this town An apartment with apartment with someone else to shovel snow all winter and weed all summer It will be just too-too too wonderful wonder wonder- ful Jean relaxed In dreams of their future One minute she appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap as still as the Sleeping F I V 1 I r rU 1 1 q k 1 l t k o V 1 ti Z ri Cant you yon forget the year seven-year-olds and concentrate on the year old she asked plaintively after alter finding Doris typing Beauty the next she went tearing g to the phone Gotta Gatta tell Petey she called Wait Something could g go o wrong wrong- Doris cautioned But Jean was already saying Guess what Horatious came thru in a big way FROM ROM then on things were even eve e more hectic than they usually were around J Jean can The crowd crow d dropped in hi often thrilling with Jean n over the move or mourning that tha t they'd perish if she dared leave It seemed to Doris in those frantic weeks that life lite was a round of typIng typing typing ing and cleaning up the kitchen n after aUer the raids of Jeans Jean's gang Th The e publishers were getting impatient t and already sending a few sample e ideas of their promotion plans forthe for forthe forthe r the book The day it was finished Doris felt fel t vaguely uneasy and went for a along along along long walk On the path by the river s she told herself she wouldn't dare e sit down or after all those nights s of work she would do a Rip Va Van Winkle Back home Jean came in wit wither with h her usual Im I'm starved Munching an apple she sat down a aher at ather ather t her mothers mother's desk and picked u uthe up p the top page of the new story She e was curious about the excitement t her mother had uncorked for th the e year seven-year-old gang The title appalled her It wa was s Life Lite With J Jean an She began readIng reading read read- ing Lag she skipped pages It was a all 11 J there Her story It began with he her r first date with Petey They were e 12 At a kids' kids party Jean ha had d thought Petey hers but afterwards afterwards afterwards after after- wards he had gotten on his bike waved casually and rode away leaving Jean to walk home alone Jean gasped Skipping a fe few w pages she read she she was washing washing wash wash- ing jag her face washIng face washing practically scrubbing When asked why Jea Jean n answered calmly Petey kissed me It wasn't as much fun tun as in the books A few pages further Jean Jenn read of the time she had bad caught the front of her dress on a porch railing rail ing lag at a dance and had torn a strip completely off oft without noticing On the dance floor she became aware that two inches of her slip sUp showed But several dances later three other girls had suffered similar acct acci dents Next day 10 girls tried the new style Jean sniffled and flipped more pages There was the account of ol the time Ume the new life guard began duty He was wonderfully hand some and Jean had an inspiration to require a rescue He had paddled all 15 years of her and then shown her the picture of his wife and small boy Even Jeans Jean's wail wall Why are such good looks wasted on married married mar mar- mar mar- marred ried red men was there She read of the time Chuck had come to East Branch His convertible convertible con con- had won Jean over at first Petey and Chuck eventually settled it man to man Jean thrilled hearing of Petey's bloody nose and Chucks Chuck's dislocated jaw law Im In- In in in- famous Im I'm notorious Ive I've been fought for she had crowed Jean was crying stormily as her mother came in How could you she demanded Doris Doris' heart sank But honey it was so cute After all New York new clothes clothes- she coaxed Id perish if Petey read this drivel Jean told her coldly Doris straightened straightened straight straight- ened the jumbled pages Think what it means If It East Branch smiles a little now it will be forgotten forgotten forgotten for for- gotten a year from now Im not living In a year from now Jean cried furiously Its now She blew her nose loudly She tugged at her mothers mother's arm Say you'll cancel it Id I'd runaway run runaway away honest Her voice trembled Petey means more to me than old New York Doris gave her daughter a very searching look She took a qt v- v breath and managed a faint You win Jean danced she turned on the radio Come Came on lets let's put the old thing in the furnace She was all smiles now Doris had sat down weakly at her desk But her voice was stern Not Nol Label it yourself Open in 1968 Ill be frightfully old then Jean complained Ill be aged But it will make such beautiful reading for your own Doris commented acidly She rana rana ran rana a a clean sheet of white paper into her typewriter and began Susy Cow was out in the meadow meadow- |