HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1943-11-04, Page 7ura
THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE, THURSDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 4th, 1943
THERE IS TODA
&tf JOSEPHINE LAWRENCE
“Well, I have someone in mind.”
appeared to clip off each word
uttered aud to let it drop into
phone like „a metal bead, “No,
hasn’t a car—at least so far as
Call me back
morning and
handset
across
husband,
and
the
who
She
she
the
she
I know. But clerical training. Makes
a nice impression. Yes.
at this time tomorrow
I’ll let you know,”
She replaced the
glanced speculatively
breakfast table at her
Was watching the coffee percolator,
Toni boasted that she planned her
day while breakfasting and certain
ly the table represented a fusion of
interests with nutrition coming out
a pooi* second. The telephone, sev
eral leather - bound engagement
books, two calendars and a number
of memorandum pads with attached
pencils fenced in Toni’s place.
Bert Fitts, a grizzled, placid gen
tleman of perhaps fifty-five or sixty
who had no figure to lose, deftly
spread thick apricot preserve on a
fresh slice of toast and genially in
quired. “Well, what's cooking?”
“This is a terrific week for me,”
his wife informed him.
Her husband pointed to the per
colator. “Throw out that cold slop
and have a hot cup.”
“No more. That reminds me I
must call up Bess about the nutri
tion classes. And I’m down for two
speeches on ’Preparedness” this
week and I’ve pledged a day to
the British workrooms.”
The placid man pouring coffee
did not raise his voice as he said
casually. “Women like you have co
lossal nerve to advocate this coun
try’s entrance into the war.”
“Well, I’d like to know what you
mean by that! Women are citizens,
aren't they? We have a right to an
opinion, haven’t we? Look at the
time and money and effort we give
to alleviate the suffering caused by
this war. I’d like to know why we
shouldn’t advocate anything we
happen to believe in!” She lifted
the handset as the telephone rang
and a high-pitchd voice began to
chatter rapidly over the wire.
“I don’t precisely advocate our
entrance into the war,” she said
now, pushing the phone back,
think we ought to
every way and if she needs
men, why then—”
Her husband was
“It’s the women who have to
hold a nation’s ideals,”’ Toni
cited. “You admit that, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re up
holding and I doubt whether you
do,” he told her, replacing the cov
er on the jam jar. “Women whose
mon will be in service—like that
girl on the top floor—have some
right to argue, perhaps, though I’m
not at all sure. After all, it’s the
men of military age yho should do
the talking—they’ll be staking their
lives, Amelia.”
His wife frowned. She had been
christened Amelia. She began to
gather up her books and pencils. “I
must get upstairs to call on that
Mrs. Thane. She may be glad to
•do a little work for us—Mrs. Wa
ters told me she holds some kind
of clerical position.”
Footsteps counded in the kitchen,
the door clicked, “Morning, Miz
Fitts,” Belle, the cleaning woman,
■called cheerfully.
Toni Fitts encountered old Mrs.
Peppercorn in the hall that eve
ning as she prepared to mount the
stairs to the third floor. Stair
climbing afforded an excellent op
portunity to slim the calves aud
thighs, the beauty parlor instructor
had informed her, so that when
Mrs. Peppercorn had reached the
second lauding on her way to the
street, the old lady was a little
alarmed to see a tall, thin woman
balancing herself oh one leg with
her other knee pressed against her
chest.
“Oh—good evening?’
resumed her normal
on my way up to
neighbors. I don’t
whether the
Mrs. Peppercorn?’’
old lady shook hei’ head. She
good deal of very white
under her brown
die, Jeered gt the efficient Toni,
“Well, I hope Mrs. Thane is home
—I tried to phone, but they have
no telephone.” Topi had been hon
estly startled by her discovery ear
lier that evening. “I do wish you’d
come down to the workrooms, Mrs.
Peppercorn, and see what wonder
ful things are being turned out,
You couldn't resist sewing for us,
I'm sure.”
The old lady absently stroked the
dog’s curly head, “I'm not resist
ing, my dear.”
“Well—” Toni tentatively raised
a rather bony knee. “I must run
along. I left my husband tending
the phone and it:s never long be
fore a message follows me, no mat
ter where I go. Good night, Mrs.
Peppercorn—Doggie's feeling fine,
I see.”
She climbed the stairs correctly
and arrived, very soldierly and
erect, at the door of 3-A. She
smiled and extended her hand cor
dially as Andrew Thane opened the
door. “Mr. Thane, of course. I’m
Mrs. Bertram Fitts—youi' neighbor
in 2-B. I’d love to come in a few
minutes and see your wife, if she
is at home.”
She was at home, the dark young
man was assuring her, holding the
door hospitably wide. A step,
the square hall, then another
the large, pleasant living room
a tiny figure turned from the
and crossed the rug to greet
guest.
“My wife, Mrs. Fitts.”
Thane spoke as if he were
ing the Fairy Queen.
“You sew?” Toni Fitts
curiously about the room.
She had a book that showed how
to cut, and make slip covers, Can
dace said. “I haven’t a machine
and that handicaps me to some ex
tent. I get the covers cut out ana!
basted, then I fit them and make
alterations if necessary and then I
take them to a friend’s house where
there is a machine. The basting is
tricky, but I’m learning it.”
Tony listened half-absently.
wasn’t the kind of room that
pealed to her ,she decided, but
tastes were modernistic.
“We love the apartment,” Can
dace Thane said, smilling above the
flowered cretonne that filled her
lap.
Candace said earnestly, “I’m
making slip covers for the faded
upholstery—we had it cleaned. We
painted the bookshelves and Andy
is going to do a lot more as he has
- time. He’s really a genius with
paint brushes.’’
The rug, she pointed out, was a
: Brussels carpet square, sprinkled
thickly with tiny wreaths of pink
i and blue roses. “It was Andy’s
grandmother’s carpet. We found it
1 in his attic.
of those
. heads, to sit <
fireplace.”
“Yes. I’ve
. straightened.
very pleasant
• tions and in a
. as well tell you, Mrs. Thane, that
I’m hoping to enlist you in a cause
that’s taking my time and atten-
; tion to tue exclusion of everything
else. I refer to the struggle being
waged for democracy.” Toni Fitts
took a gulp from her glass, set it
down with such involuntary empha-
: sis that it threatened to crack the
■ crystal coast f*r.
“We need clerical help at the
workroom
boxes fou
“We need
! also. Just
1 your time,
1 a tremendous life.
■ parading? < I’m to lead the women
■ who are grouping for national de
In time we’ll have uniforms
thirty
know
into
into
and
fire
her
“I
help Britain in
our
/
silent.
up-
re-
we cap have together?'
The older woman shrugged
thin shoulders, “You took an awful
chance, getting married before your
husband was called. There’s ‘been
a lot of criticism of men who mar
ried after the Act was passed and
then claimed exemption,1
claiming c
looked
“I’m not
Andrew Thane
the fire,
Toni sighed,
an hour, And
4?
exemption,”
soberly at
I’ve wasted
a little later.” Candace
a dollar will be of any
wool fund, I’ll be glad
that. You have a dol-
veined hands
Young
present-
glanced
“Well,
I dashed up here
without my knitting, so I’ve accom
plished just nothing. I don’t sup
pose you’d agree to knit, Mrs.
Thane? We supply wool at cost to
those who are able to pay for it.”
“Perhaps
smiled. “If
help to the
to give you
lar, haven’t you, Andy
His curiously old,
brought out his new, saddle-stitched
wallet and his stubby, blunt-tipped
fingers extracted a-clean dollar bill.
“You ought to get your wife one
of our pins, Mr. Thane.” Toni took
the dollar with a brief “Thanks.”
The pins sold for as little as two
dollars and a half, she continued,
and were the sort of thing that in
time became heirlooms.
Someone wished to speak to Mrs.
Andrew Thane on the outside phone,
Sarah Daffodil announced on thie
house phone a few evenings later.
“I offered to take the message, but
it’s very personal.” Sarah said
cheerfully, when Candace Thane
came down. “There on my desk—
I’ll be in the kitchen, if you need
me.”
The telephone
ed less than five
ses-colored lights
dace’s wide, deep
her head in at the kitchen door.
“Thank
dil. It
woman
“My .
has a
nerves.”
Toni Fitts
stance.
see your
suppose
Thanes
... ?>>
DO THIS FOR Ws
J
Interne; “You’re so marvelous,
so wonderful, so beautiful —”
Nurse: “So what?*’
SEAFORTH MANAGER
her
you be in the picture
(To Be Continued)
say—hard
photographers to take
the dinner table and
He
the
and
his
wife says
golf, she’ll
of court costs,
went from Toron-
October 2 last at
the company to
he
on
of
with notice of dis-
First Doctor: “My
that if I don’t give up
leave me.”
Second Doctor: “I
luck!”
First Doctor: “Yes, I’ll miss her
CHRISTMAS CHEER TO
missing;
IKE hundreds of other little girls and boys,
when she says ’’Goodnight, Daddy”, she says it to
a photograph. These little ones have never known the
thrill of a real, live, hold-you-close-in-his-arms daddy;
Their daddies are over there fighting so that you can live
in comfort and safety. When you think of these kiddies,
ask yourself if you are investing all you can to Speed the
Victory which will bring home the daddies they ard
These children want and need the love and affection, the comfort
and pleasure that only daddies can give. It is in your power to
help make their dredms come true. Make the Victory Bonds you buy
a magic wand that will help bring these ’’cardboard daddies” back
to eager young arms.
business and coming home at night
to each other, means everything.
There will be plenty of time for
me to do war work. Until Andy
goes, we plan to keep our free time
for each other,"
She had not intended to stay so
long, Candace apologized, or to say
so much. Andy would have finished
his homework and they had planneu
to take in the second run at the
movies. “I hope you won’t think
we’re a couple of softies who like
to feel sorry for ourselves.”
Miss Velda was young and blonde
and soothing. She said that every
one was nervous these days and
that Mrs. Fitts ought to take a lit
tle run down to Atlantic City, As
she talked she shook out snowy
towels, draped them about the
gaunt, tense woman in the leather
padder chair. “Why don’t you take
a short vacation over Easter?” the
girl urged, deftly backing the chair
and its occupant up to the basin.
“First thing you know, you’ll be
having a breakdown.”
She couldn’t go away for Easter,
Toni m'urmured, closing her eyep
as the 'warm water began to cas
cade over her hair. Perhaps she
had undertaken too mucn, but sne
had promised to have four British
seamen for dinner that Sunday.
“The committee asked us to open
our homes and make the men feel
as if we were their own families.
I’m asking my niece and three of
her friends so the sailors will have
some companionship. It meant a
lot of work, Toni added, because
the newspapers had taken a great
interest in the plan and they were
sending up
pictures of
the guests.
“My, will
too?” Miss Velda’s firm long fingers
vigorously massaged her client's
scalp.
GUILTY IN ASSAULT CASE
William R, Beldon, 75-year-old
managing director of Seaforth Salt
Industries Ltd., was convicted of
assaulting W. Earl Elliott, secretary
treasurer of the company, during an
altercation immediately following the
service by Elliott upon Beldon notice
of his dismissal and in which a rock
and an axe produced in court figured.
Beldon pleaded extreme provoca
tion and after listening to his dra
matic story from the witness stand
Magistrate Makins expressed sym
pathy and extended suspended sen
tence on payment
Elliott said
to to Seaforth
the direction
serve Beldon
missal, The aged gentleman, he said,
went into a rage, threw a rocv ut
him, striking him on the shoulder
blade, the wound necessitating medi
cal treatment. Later he said Beldon
came at him swinging an axe. Elliott
said he beat a retreat, Three em
ployees corroborated this evidence in
part.
Beldon said he had sold his in
terests in the salt concern to a To
ronto joint stock company for 10,000
shares of common stock, par value
one dollar, with the understanding
that he was to hold the position of
managing director. He had just
brought the plant into production
when notice of disimissal came,
charged that the interests of
shareholders were being abused
their money dissipated despite
constant protestations. He admitted
he had lost his head when notified
of the director's action in dismissing
him.
However, Beldon has secured an
action in the civil court preventing,
temporarily at least, the directors
from interfering with his manage
ment. Other phases of the com
pany’s activities also are before the
civil courts.
OUR BOYS OVERSEAS
Heeding the stern ultimatum,
mothers, wives, sisters and sweet
hearts of our hoys in service over
seas have spent a busy month
endeavouring to pack Just a Httlfe
bit of home into the Yuletide boxes.
We want our boys to have the best
Christmas that is possible under
present circumstances. One hoy at
the front said he longed for just a
pure drink of water—the kind that
he used to get back home. The sim
ple homes that many of our boys
will come back to after this war
will seem like a paradise to them
after all their experiences abroad.
It won't be the same world that they
left. To sleep in the old home bed
will be a luxury to them. All values
will take on new color and will be
newly appraised. The home cooked
meal will seem like an eternal
thanksgiving. So let us send a little
of the home to them now and cheer
their hearts while we may. It will
long be remembered by them. They
are fighting our battles and all we
can do will not be done in vain.
A large plate glass window and
part of the wall of Mitchell’s gro
cery store, in Goderich, were crash
ed in when an automobile driven
by Mrs, George Stevenson, Bayfield,
failed to make the turn. The driver
and her husband escaped with a
shaking up but a passenger, William
Tom, Bayfield, required medical at
tention before proceeding home. Mrs.
Stevenson told police the accelerator
was stuck. Chief Ross investigated.
conversation last-
minutes. Molas-
gleamed in Can
waves as she put
It
ap-
her
you so much, Mrs. Daffo-
wasn’t so very personal—a
I’d never met.”
grandmother’s sewing chair
soothing effect on the
' Sarah seated herself on
the lovely carved sofa and waited.
Candace’s steady fingers lighted
both cigarettes. “I’m not upset,
only annoyed. That call was from
the British workrooms. They ex
pected me down there this evening,
to straighten out their files. A Mrs.
Graham phoned and she insisted I
am pledged to work two evenings a
week.”
“So?”
“The simple truth is that I’ve re
fused
asked
Myrtle
night
Wife (reading from an insurance
pamphlet): “A large percentage of
accidents occur in the kitchen.”
Husband: “Yes, and what’s worse,
we men have to eat them and pre
tend we enjoy them.’’
I wish we had
china dogs with
on either side
a pair
curly
of the
Toniseen them.”
“Such things are all
under normal condi-
normal world. I may
where we’re packing
Britain,” she went on.
donations, but helpers
two evenings a week of
Mrs. Thane, will .give us
And how about
“I’m
new
you
are
Fitts,
but no
Sarah,
so different
I know. It’s
know
home,
The
had a .
massed
Though both hat and the black coat
■she wore were perfectly neat, the
one was too large and the other
too long to be mistaken for the
season’s models. “They’re nice,
quiet folks,” Mrs, Peppercorn vol
unteered. “It's hard to tell when
they’re in or when they’re out?”
Under her arm a bundle of silky
White stirred and the , bright, mis
chievous eyes of “Doggie,” her poo-
hair
hat,
fense.
but we don’t want to spend
dollars on a uniform, until we
wliat our duties will be.”
Quiet people baffled Toni
Who believed it everyone’s duty to
keep conversation flowing as freely
as salt. “Surely you can come to
us for one evening a week, Mrs.
Thane?” Toni suggested.
She was sorry, Candace Thane
said clearly, “We need our eve
nings, Andy and. I. Neither of us
makes an engagement that ties us
up in advance, My husband stud
ies three nights a week, here at
home,
need to
del*?’
There
ionod about the setup. Toni decid
ed, Aloud she said, “We’re all
making sacrifices. It might help
you to do more for others, If you
budgeted our time, Now, for in
stance, If you had a telephone—-”
They
Candace
ant face
the vvay
well,
wo place a high value on the hours
The rest of the time we
get our rooms in good or*
was something old-fash-
couldn’t afford a phone,
demurred, turning a radi-
toward her husband. “And
we feel abeut onr time—
everything is so uncertain,
from the first. Mrs. Fitts
me, then someone named
Ryder wrote me and to-
tliis director-in-charge calls.
No one understands. Andy says it
isn’t necessary that they do. Do
yott think it is necessary, Mrs. Daf
fodil?”
Sarah put hei’ roughened hand
over the smooth little palm up
turned on the girl’s lap. “Do I
think explanations necessary? Not
unless you need to convince your
selves.”
“You have always understood,
haven’t you.” The quiet, clear
voice did not quicken or falter, 'yet
heartache and unshed tears lay for
a moment unconcealed behind the
tranquil brown eyes. “There
so many like us,” Candace
“We are young now,
is young very long.”
That’s it, thought
wondered what it is
about them and now
their terrible awareness—no other
generation but took outh for grant
ed. We assumed it lasted forever.
They don’t. A fragment of verse
published in the world war she
remembered, still haunted her, re
turned to her mind now: “They
give their youth, God bless them,
as lightly as a rose.” But this gen
eration of children, Sarah reflected
heavily, has learned somehow what
no youngster should know—how
briefly we are young. Aloud she
murmured, “You're just beginning
to live, my dear.”
“We looked at it from all an
gles,” Candace Thane Said,
we decided that no matter
might happen we’d have :
weeks or months or perhaps
Of normal, happy marriage,
waited until after the war*
“We’re not at war?’
The girl said with a grave cer
tainty that chilled the Oldei* woman
“We shall be.
if we waited,
be the same,
home disabled;
come heme at all.
aud there’d be all the memories of
our Ioriliiiess and unhappy separa
tion. Now already wo have had
something that nothing can take
away; we’ve been happy while
we’re young.”
“Andy and I don’t go about son-
timentally sighing that life is beau
tiful—-but we don’t take it for grant
ed, either. Every day we have to
gether is wonderful, just going to
“And
What
a few
a year
If we
•
But we figured that
nothing could ever
Andy might come
or he might not
We’d be older
Page T
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