THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 13, 1937.
If you're ever short of money-
Ask My Wife!
OU'VE probably known
the
Helen's influence on Janet Was
Dot went through a period of After we had taken Lillian back kind of person who would aching void, and we were on the to the home one Saturday, Dot highly salutary. Helen had been "give you the shirt off his back"- point of adopting a child when an- discovered that her ring was gone. those generous souls who are al- other presence knocked and we de- .ways doing for others.
I am the husband of such a per-
son
.
cided to wait. She is now nine Why She Was Tempted years old and has a brother four.
But that first baby was only the
trained to do little routine such as making her bed.
who had never made a soon following suit.
duties
Janet,
wes
We called the superintendent of Janet was inclined to be incon-. I balked violently at spending beginning of our experiences in the home, who assured us that Lil siderate of her playmates and some- money we needed ourselves on some playing parents to youngsters not lian was one of their nicest girls times downright selfish. waif Dot had picked up. But it our ową
and could not possibly have taken. In these respects Helen helped made Dot so unhappy I always had.
straighten her out, too. to give in.
1 am sold on the idea myself.
John appeared one winter morn- it.
ing, a lad barely nineteen, dirty, And the girl was heartbroken Parental Love
And after fourteen years I find dishevelled, but, as Dot said, "With that we should even suspect her.
such a nice, honest face," asking if The superintendent, too, seemed The usual doubt voiced by my At first Dot's own brothers and we had something he could do, say- to feel that we were doing the girl friends is: Won't these children be sisters, eight of them, were always ing that he hadn't eaten for two an injustice, and suggested that the worse off in returning to an institu- needing something, and our slender days.
ring must have been mislaid. tion after having a taste of par- salary was dolefully dented.
In the presence of the superin- ental love? tendent, Dot could get nowhere with
currence, and Dot fed all comers.
talk to her alone.
Dot understood why she had been tempted
-
And I recall the old saying: ""Tis
never to have loved at all." It has been great fun.
S
The hunger march to our door, We lived in a one-roomed kitche- nette affair with horsehair furni- and I suppose to most others dur- ture, but it was one of the happiest ing the depression, was a daily oc- Lillian, so she asked permission to better to have loved and, lost than years of our lives. And part of the thrill came from thinking that, were it not for us, Dot's sister would be unable to stay in the hospital.
One morning a flustered husband bath and was fitted out with my old clothes. "And "Dot kept playing on called on Dot saying that his wife his pride to make something of him- was being rushed to the hospital.
He explained that she was almost self and soon had her friends giv- frantic, wondering what to do with ing him regular work.
John verified his story by eating lustily and doing a thorough job of washing the windows. He had a She had never had a ring, had a bank balance, but we have man
at ease.
she?
We never expect to have much of
aged, thanks to Dot's ability to cut Taking it didn't mean that she corners, to do a lot with compara- was a bad girl, but keeping it would. tively little.
Sympathy and understanding were
The older I become the more I too much for Lillian, and she tear- find it necessary to justify my life. fully confessed.
Laving for myself and family is Lillian is married now and we no more than a normal obligation. Those enlargements of family ex- periences have given me the most satisfaction.
her six-week-old baby, and had After a year's absence he appear- said that if only Mrs. S. would take ed one day with a new suit and a hear from her every Christmas. him she could go feeling perfectly ready-made smile. He had a steady
Last summer we took to the coum job and was about to be married.
Dot's friends have repeatedly home as a playmate for our Janet. try a little girl from a children's When I came home I was flabber-
I'd rather he called "Daddy" by a brand-new baby warned her against taking such It was a joy to watch this new girl youngsters not my own than by my gasted to find installed with crib and all acces nondescripts into the house. There
-I'll call her Helen.
two. You somehow expect it from sories, and even expected the worst was no telling what they might do.
Her own parents were dead and your own. Perhaps we are just lucky, but she had almost no recollection of Another thing I've found. until Dot explained. She had al-
we have never had any unfortunate them. ways been crazy about babies, any-
Painless giving is a just a pallia experiences or anything stolen, ex-
As a result she was starved for tive to ease a restive conscience. We became so fond of the young cept Dot's engagement ring.
affection.
Unless it means some sacrifice of man that at the end of two months The girl whom I shall call Lillian At first Janet, who is affectionate time, money, or of yourself, there when the mother was fully recover was sixteen, and one of the few but not demonstrative, was jealous, will be small return in satisfaction. ed and we had no excuse for keep girls from the orphanage allowed but that gradually wore off in the Both of us have got back much ing him longer we hated to give to help at week-ends in homes care joy of having a companion. Tuore than we gave out
fully chosen by the social worker.
him up
How B.B.C. Will Relay
The Coronation
commentary
The BBC has now completed a Constitution Hill the number of its plans for broadcasts will again be resumed, in order that in connection with the Coronation. the final scenes of pageantry may be
BBC observers along the route of the Coronation procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey will describe the scenes to lis-
described, until the time when their Majesties enter Buckingham Palace Within The Abbey
teners. Observers will be stationed The Coronation Service, which within the precincts of Buckingham lasts for almost two-and-a-t Palace, at the corner of Constitu- will be broadcast in its tion Hill and the Mall, at the Ceno- with the exception of brief passa taph in Whitehall, outside West in the service w
entirely
minster Abbey, within the annexe themselves to broadcasting. Twenty to the Abbey where their Majesties four microphones will be installed and important guests will arrive, within the walls so that no detail of and inside the Abbey itself. The the proceedings may be missed by observers engaged so far are Mr. listeners. Before the beginning of Howard Marshall, Mr. John Snagge, the Service a BBC observer
will Mr. George Blake, and Mr. T. Wood- describe the various acts and cere- rooffe, but there will be several monies which form part of the others, who will be selected later. Coronation. During parts of the Their Majesties will return from service devoted to these acts, when Westminster Abbey to Buckingham no sound is audible, a speaker will Palace by a long and circuitous read selected rubrics which will en- route, in order that they may be able listeners to follow the proceed- seen by the maximum number of ings. The BBC is installing, with people. After their departure from in the precincts of the Abbey, an Parliament Square there will be a elaborate control room, which will studio programme suited to the oc- be linked to Broadcasting House. casion. This will be interrupted, This control room will be the focal however, at short intervals to en
both
broadcasts: from B of
able listeners to hear the sour
up from
mi
of the cheering crowds, which
at Trafalgar square, Palace, and Oxford
procession fo
and of
fifty
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