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Show Extra Work Made by Untidy Hands Matters Worthy of Thought in the Home. In these days when detective stories sto-ries are popular, many readers, young and old alike, believe that they have instinct, or at least qualities, qual-ities, which would lead them to discover dis-cover clues leading to the solution of thefts and crimes, should they have a chance to exercise them. They seldom think of things the other way around, with an appreciation of how-easy how-easy it would be for anyone to track them down. They are constantly leaving trails of what they do in the simple and innocent activities of their days. Yet they wonder how it is that mother, father, some one In the family, fami-ly, or one with whom they are boon companions discover what they have been doing or "what they are up to." It may be with no wish to conceal con-ceal their actions that things are ; not spoken of earlier, but opportun-' Ity may not have arisen or the "right time" for which they were looking, has not come. Then, when they do speak of the thing, it is they who are amazed, for they can j see the Information is not totally a surprise to the hearer. Leading Signs. "How does mother always know i when I have been at her work bas- ! ket, even for a needle and thread?" 1 is the query of surprise, often voiced by some daughters. How indeed ! The needle is left on table or bureau wherever the sewing stopped. In her rounds of straightening rooms one such needle is generally discovered. On putting it away, the needlecase Is found to be lying open and the end of the thread on the spool not fastened off. These are not characteristic char-acteristic ways of the mothers. They are of the daughters, who thus leave clues about, praiseworthy as the work itself probably is. Who has been writing at father's desk? Not that it would in itself be disliked, but the stopper to the ink bottle is off, and that Is annoying. The Ink gets dusty and the next time father- writes he is bothered with tiny specks on the pen, which make strokes uneven. He does not have to be a Sherlock Holmes to know who is the culprit and he or she gets taken to task and the clues are not wrong which led to the discovery. Silent Clues. Or when there Is pasting to be done, and the top Is not replaced on the tube or the cover on the paste jar, clues are not wanting to point with Insistent accuracy to some one, not the owner of the tube or Jar, having been using said paste. When the cracker jar lid is not put on straight mother does not have to look inside and find the lowered contents, to know somebody has had an especial treat. But it isn't always al-ways children who leave trails of their activities in their wake. Older people share with them the same traits of leaving trails which simplify sim-plify detection of activities. Careless Care-less trails are untidy and make extra ex-tra work for the homemaker. . 1933, Bell Syndicate. WNU Service. |