SOUTHERN OREGON MINER
H arry
C ium .
© Me
PuoH
W.N.U.Service **
INSTALLMENT ONE—The Book and the Author
Mrs Harry Pugh Smith's storlss of
the American family have endeared her
to thousands of readers. In "Handmade
•
Rainbow«" th« tells ot a newspaper edi
tor's family during the depression. Oth
er books by the same author: “Jewels
For His Crown." "So Many World».“
“Hearts Walking." “Beau." "P«tor
Pan a Daughter."
“Poor folks have puor ways."
Laura grinned to herself, quoting old
Aunt Julia, the black mammy who
had presided In the big kitchen on
Laura's father's plantation.
Like all Negroes, Aunt Julia had
loathed "poor white trash.” Laura
thought probably the old colored
woman turned over in her grave
every time "Miss Lolly” patched a
ice, tight girdle waistband, girl
three-year-old dress or dyed a sea
ish puffed sleeves and billowy
son-before-last slip to wear with a
gathered skirt. Wear it with a
$7 95 model from Blumer's base
choker necklace of bright colored
ment.
beads)
• • •
Laura had been a beauty as a girl.
She was still at forty-three almost
Pattern No. sikiii is in slses 11 to lo.
Size 14 rrqulies 31b yant* Minch tebrio
as pretty as either of her daugh
without nap; 71b yerds rio rac to trim it
ters.
Although she would have
as sketched. Tur this attractive pattern,
strenuously denied the fact There
■rixi your order to;
were a few silver threads in the
smooth black hair above her tern-
SKWINO <'IKCI.K I’ATTKHN PRIT.
pies, and laughing wrinkles under
I4S N»w Monljornrry Mlrtrl
her clear topaz eyes. Nevertheless
San Francisco
Call«.
she had on several occasions been
Knclosn 13 etnia tor «ach pattern.
mistaken for her older son's sister.
Pattern No......... Riza................................
"But not today," she thought with
Ñamo .........................................................
a glance into the wavy mirror above
Addte.a ................................................... ..
the sink which she was trying to
clear of an accumulation of soiled
cooking vessels. “Do I look like a
hag. or don't I?”
"You don't! You couldn't!"
Laura dropped a stew pan.
hadn't heard Kathleen come
Sharp received a letter from his
"Darling, you startled me."
friend McTavish which bore no
Kathleen eyed her mother somber
stamp, nnd he had to pay the post
ly. Laura did look tired.
age. The letter concluded:
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare
“You will be delighted to hear
you. I came in the back way to
I am enjoying the bent of health,
leave the irises on the porch. They
old chap. —Yours, McTavish.’’
spilled and are sort of messy. I'm
Sharp pondered over this for a
afraid."
time, then he secured a large
Laura surveyed her daughter and
stone, wrapped it, addressed it
giggled. "You haven't been wres
nnd sent it express collect to his
tling with them or anything?”
friend McTavish. Attached to it
Kathleen grinned ruefully. "The
was a note, which read as follows;
old bucket up and socked me in the
“Dear McTavish:
eye. Am I a holy sight?"
"Thin great weight rolled off my
mind when I received the good
“You do look a little bedraggled.
Better run right up and change."
news of your state of health.
Yours sincerely,
“Nothing doing. I'm helping you.
Sharp.“
I should have been here an hour
ago. Only I wasn't," Kathleen fin-
ished lamely.
She had no intention of confessing
to the mishap which had delayed
Dan Rice (1822 1900), the nio»t
her. In the first place Laura would
famous clown in the history of the
worry. It really wasn't safe to risk
American circus, was a friend of
the old sedan far from town in the
state of its tires. And there simply IT’S the new frock young Amerl- most of the celebrated men of his
time, made nnd lost several for
wasn't money for new ones. Fur *• cn loves. You’ll sec it every
tunes, ran for congress and was
where
this
summer
in
woshuble
thermore, her rescue by the young
man in slacks had left Kathleen's prints. Calico, percale, gingham, even considered ns a presidential
pride considerably impaired. She broadcloth and chambray are candidate, snys Collier’s. During
had no desire to expose the painful ideal for it. The style glorifies fem the Civil war, he earned $1,000 a
details.
But it hadn't seemed a inine charms, with its low cut week, or twice as much ns Abra
laughing matter to Kathleen. It still square neckline, full gathered bod- ham Lincoln.
didn't She tackled the overflow of
dirty dishes with a vehemence that
made her mother glance at her.
"Don't bother with those things,
darling. Let them alone. I'll be all
washed up in a jiffy."
Kathleen doggedly wiped a sauce
pan. "You don’t like kitchen po
lice a bit better than I do,” she
said in a fierce voice. “You just do
it and don't gripe because you're
the grandest sport on earth."
Laura's firm, rather wide mouth
curved upward. "Thanks for the
flattery, darling."
"It isn't flattery. It's the fright
ful truth. Only you oughtn't to have
to drudge like a slave. It isn’t
fair. Where's Shirley?”
"Upstairs pressing my dress. And
Not Standing Still
melting into her shoes. I daresay,"
Better Way
Men cannot be stationary. If a
Laura's amber eyes suddenly looked
Choose always the way that
jaded. “Do try to get her to lie seems the best, however rough it man is not rising to be an angel,
down for an hour when you go up, may be. Custom will render it depend upon it he is sinking down
Kathleen. She really mustn't look easy and agreeable.—Pythagoras. wards to be a devil.
as if she'd done the family wash
when her future in-laws arrive."
Kathleen sniffed. “You know very
well that Jaird's mother will And
something to be catty about no mat
ter how Shirley looks.
Honestly,
that woman's poison ivy to me. How
did as nice a boy as Jaird ever
draw such a wash-out for a moth
•
• • •
'"Thanks." said Kathleen, and never made more than just a living
realized she had not after all suc Recently he and it have been one
Slap, bang, bumptey-bump! Kath ceeded in doing anything to his jump ahead of the bloodhounds. You
leen Maguire smothered an eloquent abominable self-assurance.
know there's been a depression. Or
"Damn " A rear tire had gone fiat
"Being one of these southern dam do you? Probably you think that's
and was smacking the pavement sels,” he went on. scowling at the funny too. Dad does Is he down
with loose rubber. It was no more sedan, "I suppose you expect any hearted because collections have
than she expected. The family se male in sight to fix that tire."
dropped fifty per cent? Is he? I ask
dan was on its last legs. Nothing
Kathleen surveyed him through you."
could do it any good except to jack long curling black lashes. They were
The young man who was manipu
it up and run a new one under it
quite her best feature and she could lating the jack lever grinned.
“And a fat chance there is of do a number of Interesting tricks
"He's probably having the time of
that" muttered Kathleen, attempt with them. But the tall rangy young his life trying to pull through by
ing to steady her wabbling vehicle.
an eyelash "
man beside her did not notice.
But she had been hitting a smart
"He is. He's turned down dozens
“You don't need to advertise that
pace and the pike was badly worn, you arrive from north of the biscuit of brilliant offers in the past fifteen
as full of holes as the sedan's dilapi line," she told him with what she years. Offers that stood for big pay
dated roof. With a little wheeze hoped was a cutting little laugh. and a name for himself."
and a groan the car slid off into the "We don't grow them that casual
"Maybe neither of those things
ditch to the right and coasted gently in these parts.”
means a lot to him."
half up the other bank where it
"They don't But—" she broke off
He shrugged his shoulders.
“I
abruptly. "He's aces really. He has
hung, precariously poised on two
was warned about small-town Dixie
everything.
Only—” she looked
wheels, in the thick tangled under
flirts. Sorry." He grinned at her
away, then back at him defiantly.
growth of blackberry vines and dog
again, poking under the sedan's
"He could have gone to the top if
fennel.
back seat in search of tools. "I
She had been to the country for don’t suppose you have any Idea he had tried.”
"What of it?" Hi* lips curled,
flowers. Because they were cheaper where I'd find a jack to remove that
"I suspect you are two of a kind.
than hothouse products. On the front tire, have you?"
I suppose you'd rather be your own
seat, carefully balanced beside her
Kathleen made a grimace. "The
typesetter on your own news sheet
to keep from damaging their tender
car’s six years old. If there was
than draw ten thousand a year and
tips, was a bucket full of purple
anything on it where it ought to be.
take orders?"
irises. She had thought it a bril
I’d drop dead."
liant idea at the time. Now the
"Absolutely."
"I see." he said briefly.
bucket proceeded to upset
"I dare say if the biggest store in
“You are touring, aren't you?”
“It would,” she muttered with a
town underpaid its employees, you’d
»he
asked,
eyeing
a
small
roadster
vindictive thought for the perversity
insist on writing it up no matter
of things
general.
what it cost in advertising?"
Everything lately had come un
"Sure.”
raveled at the least excuse. Due
“You’d love to print the truth about
to the sedan's perilous slant she
a dirty political deal although it of
was wadded down in the farthest
fended subscribers right and left and
corner under the steering wheel and
cut your circulation in half?”
drenched with the contents of the
“Positively.”
bucket There were purple irises in
Kathleen
nodded. “Yes, you and
her hair and a spray of fern in her
Mike are two of a kind. Have you
mouth. Even her white sports shoes
finished?"
squished unpleasantly when she
"Yes." He stood up, brushed his
tried to wriggle out from under the
dusty hands on his soiled trousers
deluge,
and grinned at her. "If you'll stand
mouth.
out of the way I'll release the brake
It was no time for the young man
and see if I can hoist her back to
lying supine in the meadow beyond
the road.”
the ditch, to snigger.
Kathleen
The old sedan rocked gently down
glared at him, her red-brown eyes
into the ditch and then under its
■light with furious sparks. She had
own momentum and some muscular
never seen him before. She was
persuasion from the young man at
sure he had no business to be where
the rear climbed sedately back onto
he was. Nevertheless he had the
the highway. Gravely he deposited
most maddening air of seeming per
the irises on the front seat
fectly at home. A limp leather vol
"Don't get your values mixed,"
ume lay near his hand. But she
he said, and his voice was a little
thought he bad been asleep. His
griff as if he was a trifle embar
lazy gray eyes were both drowsy
rassed. "I'm not so hot when it
■nd quizzical in his sunburned face. J
comes to moralizing. But a fat sal
And Kathleen had never seen a grin
ary check doesn't compensate for
which she considered more exas
everything. Not by a hell of a lot
perating.
\*A *** •
Believe it or not there is such a
“I suppose you think its funny,”
thing as selling your soul for thirty
she said.
“I was warned about small town
pieces of silver. Or thirty thou
He laughed, and sat up. He had
Dixie flirts."
sand. And living to hate them and
Startlingly broad shoulders.
“You must admit it is rather ex drawn up under a tree some dis yourself.”
He gazed at her silently, And
traordinary to have a maiden in dis tance away. "I thought at first you
abruptly his gray eyes were lazy
tress barge in on a feller's dreams, must be a hitch-hiker."
and mocking again. “Your perspec
literally cockeyed with water lilies,
"I’m touring. And thank the Lord,
tive is distorted and I can't say
or whatever those things are you're
I’ve got wrenches and things in my
much for your childish tantrums,"
wearing
for
a
necklace,”
he
old tin can."
he remarked with hi* old exasperat
drawled.
He left her in search of these, but ing grin. "But you're a cute young
Kathleen colored and made a rab
id effort to retrieve a clump of wa returned at once with a case of in ster. And I guess you owe me this.”
Whistling under his
He stooped suddenly. She could
ter-soaked foliage that was bent on struments.
breath,
he
set
about the delicate never get accustomed to the swift
sliding down the neck of her red
task of jacking up the sedan's rear ness of his apparently languid move
and white sports dress.
wheel without precipitating it again
“They're irises, and they’re cold
ments. He cupped her round, dim
into
the ditch. Kathleen found a pled chin in his hand, and kissed
and wet. And if you believe in being
useful as well as ornamental,” she small spring of water down the road her.
said with a curl of her red lips, “you and refilled the bucket There were
loads of gorgeous purple blooms still
might lend me a hand.”
CHAPTER II
She saw with triumph that he did intact She produced her compact
not like being twitted with the fact and endeavored to repair a little of
Laura Maguire carefully set the er?”
he was decidedly decorative. He the damage. But the powder was flaky timbales which she had just
“I expect," said Laura with a grin,
wet
through.
was in fact provokingly indolent
"if he had had his rathers, he would
taken
from
the
oven
on
the
window
“And I was trying to save a three-
about coming to her rescue. But
ledge to cooL The kitchen was hot have chosen differently. But unfor
although he did not seem to exert dollar florist's bill,” she cried, and it showed signs of a strenuous tunately, mothers are sort of forced
himself unduly, be proved a sur throwing the vanity case as far as engagement But everything was on you, aren't they? And there’s not
prisingly efficient person in the she could reach while she morosely done except of course, those things a lot you can do about it.”
pinch. Kathleen gathered the im surveyed a rent in one of her two which had to be left to the last min
“None of us ever want to do any
pression that he did well anything best pairs of hose.
ute. Laura fervently hoped that thing about you."
He grinned at her over his shoul
he cared to do. Certainly with a
Laura laughed. “Are you sure
Hulda would not put too much flour
minimum of effort on his part he der. “Don’t mind me," he said. in the cream sauce for the aspara you wouldn't prefer a sweet, de
extricated her from the undignified “Go on and cry if you feel like it. gus.
mure, silver-haired old lady with all
position of being jammed under her Only I can't lend you a shoulder to
the traditional virtues? Isn't it a lit
Hulda
did
her
best.
As
well
as
own steering wheel, by the simple weep on. I'm sort of hard-boiled
tle trying to have a slightly giddy
anyone
could
who
came
into
some
expedient of opening the door and that way.”
one else's kitchen at six to serve a mother who can beat you swim
"From New York, aren’t you?”
lifting her out bodily.
four-course dinner at seven. Every ming?”
“All I asked was a hand,” splut she hazarded after a silence which body in Covington who could not af
“You can’t”
did not disturb him in the least.
tered Kathleen.
“I did Saturday.”
ford a daily maid had Hulda for
She had identified the license plate
“Don’t worry,” he said grimly and
“You won’t tomorrow."
special occasions.
set her down on her feet in the short on the roadster.
“We’ll see."
Laura, who had urgent reasons to
"By way of more recent stops at
est practicable space of time. “I’ve
Kathleen realized suddenly that
want
this
particular
dinner
party
to
no urge to clasp you to my manly Cleveland and St. Louis," he vouch
go off beautifully, had been up since she didn’t feel depressed or appre
bosom. If you must know, you feel safed.
hensive any r ore. And the world,
"You don’t take life very serious six. There had been literally a hun her world, was no longer on edge.
like a cross between a damp garter
dred
things
to
do.
She
had
gone
to
ly, do you?”
snake and a very clammy frog.”
She glanced at Laura with narrowed
He eyed her with sardonic gray market herself to select the chicken eyes. Had her mother suspected
and
the
strawberries.
The
house
eyes.
"I’ve been fired off three
that Kathleen needed to be kidded
newspapers in the past six months had been cleaned from front to back, out of the blues? One could never
The Depression com
for thinking a lot of things are jokes, silver polished, the best china and tell about Laura, She didn't miss
glass washed, the lace and linen ta
myself included.”
pletely upset the Maguire
blecloth and napkins dug out and anything, though she seldom re-
"Newspapers!” Kathleen laughed,
ferred to matters she was not sup-
a short mirthless sound. "I might pressed.
family. But, then, there
posed to see.
But Kathleen had
The
aspic
salad
had
to
be
made
have known that you’re a tramp
watched her mother laugh Mike out
was mother. She pitted
early to leave time for cooling. And
newspaper man.”
of the doldrums without his ever
"You don't sound as if you thought Laura had set it in small individual dreaming she knew he had them.
herself against all odds
molds
which
she
decorated
with
tiny
much of me and my kind."
“Do come and look at the table,"
—and won!
rings of red and green peppers. It
She shrugged her shoulders.
said Laura when they had the kitch
had
been
tedious
work
although
she
“I can tell you why you were fired.
see
en shipshape. "Really it looks very
You couldn't be bothered to do dull admitted the results were gratifying hi-de-ho, if I do say so as shouldn’t.”
stories that pleased the editor or when she peeped Into the big old ice
Kathleen agreed but without a
wouldn't offend the big advertising box on the back porch. The Ma great deal of enthusiasm. Privately
accounts. You preferred to walk out guires had no electric refrigerator. she thought Jaird Newsum’s mother
it things got too tame. Or if the They hadn’t a lot of things which wasn't worth all the nerve strain it
fish were biting. Or if the city desk Laura’s women friends had.
entailed to give a dinner party In
She was thinking of that as she her honor. Even if Shirley was en
cut down your pet yarn and made
you pad one about some pill of a carefully arranged olives in a sien gaged to Jaird, and mad about him.
leading citizen who was a pal of the der hand-painted dish so as to con-
“It looks K. O. to me," she said.
ceal the crack in the bottom which “And then some. Only that old snob
owner.”
For the first time she had his she had mended with sealing wax.
will find something to patronize. See
A party was trouble if one had if she doesn't”
acute attention.
"So you know something about trained servants and plenty of ev
Laura laughed. "I only hope no
i
erything to do with, But it assumed one decides to move the centerpiece.
newspaper men,” he observed.
"My father’s one,” she flung at the proportions of a major operation It’s right over the darned place in
him with bitterness. “He owns the in a house which had to be ran- the cloth."
Covington Clarion. A daily in a town sacked to And ten crystal goblets
of eighteen thousand people. He's to match, to say nothing of salad
owned it fifteen years. And he’s plates and forks.
CHAPTER 1
In This Newspaper
r
Friday, August 1, 1941
SEWING CIRCLE
There* s No Doubt but
McTavish Asked for It
Top Clown
28% LESS NICOTINE
than the average of the 4 other largest»
selling cigarettes tested—less than any
of them—according to independent
scientific tests of the smoke itself!
THE SMOKE’S THE THING I
CAMEL”''"
“""’ TOBACCOS
"'
COSTLIER
UVCflfdwU
BARGAINS
• Ow readers should always remember
that our community merchants cannot
afford to advertise a bargain unless it
is a real bargain. They do advertise bar
gains and such advertising means money
saving to the people of tlie community.