Septrttlbcr,
1 920
TilE
L\~D-..\\0\'.\'
Something that Begins with "T."
By Kay Cleaver Straban.
Clf.'\I'I J.:H FIVE.
1
\11 of my f.1mil) 1..aJnt! home c. 1 utiou 1
.
·
I
d
'Y
"A wife an ·
) ou -
he· l.>t·gan.
·
o
I -,hook my head. '' • ,\[y he<.trl j') ( 00 • 1
,,~,rdcn,' " I a~ ured hin 1 • " 11
·
J
s lltl•·
n
ow IS your heart, and
how b ,\l r. :\ti.,er\?"
" llun"r}."
ht an-,wt·r"(l
o
.. • L ut h e meant tom·u h
hungrv,
not heart hunrr,
\ • '' • md 'lr
'1'
'h a.,.
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n • • • 1 s• r
.u.otht r ur'..,
l.lll 1
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,.,
,
V
IC }JrC-
tt nd('d not lo !> h N o f t h at thar -.arnunt
• ' so th .. o h 1 .t ~JUt
.
,
~
rame
h~nw !-,( C'lllf'd hkc th1s w<~.., a v.ant-to·ll!Jd-a-lift.!-of-
cn m<.: day for l ver) body. J· unny what a lot of differ-
• nee 1t mated, fo r
the ear
O rignHtll), I a m Stlre :\l r. ~1 i-.er was not intl'ndfd
to be a m1-.er. H e is not cut from the right patt rn,
the pattern from which typical mi<;<.r::. ~Hf· madt. .\
funny little- f~tt bantam of a nwn he b, with a pink}
bald lwad like a peeled Bt rmuda onion and uig round
baby-blue eyes without a panidt or cr.tft in th<:m,
and plump, '>lumpy hands Without a part•de of
dutchtnc.,.., about th<.m. .\ 11 of my famil) and I
have decided that he caught hic; mi:st>rlinc ... .., -..omc-
where, j uc;t as he is everlastingh catd1ing cold, .tnd
has n o t bc<>n able t o rid hirmelf of it
" It is j u.,t no use, " so he ~reet('d th ) t '>lerday,
" a-buyin ' '> h oes for k ids un l<'..,s you take tlw k,d..,
ak>ng, el-.cway'> th<.'y ne\l r fit. ~e-ver."
~Ir . :\I t-,<.'r is li ke that.
H e has a wav
of di~-
•
pcnsiog '' tth pr<-liminam•s, .l c..tsual ho..,pit : " ComC' in. '1 hr hou.,c
m a} not be in ord <>r bu t I ' ll not keep ~ ou waittng
outside w h ilf' I nrr~tng"f' my h o w-O-good-of-you-to-com t s. "
.
" I t <,un 1\ '" wi-.er, " 1 agrN'd , " to take thE> ktd..,
along. "
" :\1 y old la dy, " ht' cont inu ('(), " uqpd to go up
town n nd buy s ho(';; for th<' kids ull nround and
bring '<•m hom<" a nd th<'y tWV<'r fiL. "\f'\'( r ''
W e- h .tvc known ~f r. Mi-.rr for five • )l':u.:: and
•
thi<; \\'.t'> the fi r c;t t im e w e hnd heard h11n nwntHHl
hie, o ld lUbJ• et, annoy~d.
All of m) famil) and I had hearJ murh of Mr.
:'\t,•er'.., life on )1i.., cow (\\C call th1·m housebo tbl,
but nev~r before had w< heard of hi.., \\i{c an·d
S~"VCn or eight < hildren br·mg tak<'n oil of it. It
i-.n 't lllU1 h wondf r that P~t persbtcd, so :
•
" Ye..., but who took tht rn off t ''
·
" 1 hat," ponderLhorlt.,. 'U. uc :\ ~•ght."
Fortunately 1 was -.till ..,tanding, Of•nr the door. I
mana~ed ,m t-X ~nd
l.tu~h:ng by your..,('l{ br(':.l\1'>1' a m.ln h.td h1-. w•ft>
ancl .;('\' n or <·ight t·hildr('n drown .tll on(' ng-111
aftr r the othf'r. \ ou .;a d. "-stf'rnh-" that \OU
had lini~hf'd b<'-' ng a fie no 10 humnn form for to-
day. "
" But it isn't trut'," I gigglt d, " } ou know it
,..,n 't Ilt· just made the m up ,tnd then h<' had tn
gn ncl of th<'m.
Of time... It
t-. a fXJiitc pretend of our..,, all of tn) fnm 1-, 's and
h
.
-
mini", that ~Ir ~liwr crot.'><'"- hi.; fing1·rs \\hilP
< ~ 1 rn 1 • on mam of hb rcminis• t•nt < on\er-.ation..,.
...
.
.
"l d .
" '\o," ::u.qu 1 -.t rd all of m\ fn!n1h, . , on t
c;u pp<~'>•
.;t(lrl• d
it wa... tnw. l . ~u<:,.,.., hi' J u..,l k.md. a , gut
and - . But, JUSt thP. ~anw, it l"n l ·'
thin~ for \ 'OU to go l.tughin~ about, Phyl. If ~ou
n , 1 d it m· a book 'ou \\ ~ntldn 't I,!Ug-h. You di1l11 't
tr.u~-rh \OU hollc·r('(l, \\hi n J ud•· hung- th<' two ltttl••
rhildr:·n· .tnd hnn•a•\f up in tb•· clo~·t. In a book
, <·ll 'd t n about it."
· "Yen. w• 11." J ... aid, to apJW':l<;~ him, " I'll put
it in 111 v book ... o that <'\'t r~one whu ~-;uc-; to ma)
o' aho11 t
. 1t. "
C nAMrR Stx.
't\ 1 .dn\ all of nw familY ::md 1 an' goin~ to cout t
-not 1. 1 w court, ro)al court :1nl! wt· urc nil <'Xt it' d
ahoul it. ,\t lt ,t..,t w,.. thmk \\~ an• to Lt nll~l\\i'd h'
.tntl at 1t ,bt 1 atn 'lll r \.l ited ahout it.
l
1, 0
~ ..,u-.pr1 t a 11 o f tn' (,\tnih of f.tkin!!
-' -.omf" t'f hi'
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