SHORT STORY
VITAMINS
mop."
By T.
"It's a quare thing to me how these doctors an' experts con change their "Let me get on wi' me tale," said minds," said Alf Higson.
Alf. "Here's a doctor in th' 'papper "What's biting thee now"? asked sayin' as how spuds ain't fattenin'. Mary, his wife.
What Ah wor gooin': to say is: it's quare how they con change their minds when they want us to do owt."
"Well," said Alf, "It's like this 'ere, Tha remembers as when Ah started developin' this bay window in front on me th' doctor towd me to gl' o'er eatin' taters.":
"Ah towd thee that too," said Mary, "Ah said tha'd ha' to eat less or brast."
"Aye," said Alf, "but tha'rt not a expert."
"It's
"Ah like that," said Mary. me as has to put th' pon on."
"Ah'm not sayin' owt derogatory about thi cookin';" said Alf. "Far fro* it. Ah think tha could mak' a .square meal out o' a pair o' owd shoes, But tha doesn't know owt about vita- mins an' that soart o' damned catty- watty. Tha'rt not a expert in them things."
"It's happen a good job for thee as Ah'm not," said Mary. "Billy Gregson an' his wife are full up wi' that dietin' muckment, an' he looks like a frozzen
"Ah could ha' towd thee that," said Mary. "Afore th' last war we couldn't live bout so mony cuble feet o' air space in a room, an' when it wor o'er it wor reet if we could manage to thrutch in one at a time."
"That's what Ah mean," said Alf, "It's codology. But what do they want puttin' it in th' papper? If it's in th' papper it owt to be reet. There owt not to be ony codology in th' pap- per."
"Ah never read.nowt in th' papper." said Mary, "nobbut th' advertisements an' th' weddin's an' buryin's.”.
"There's th' racin'," said Alf "an' the' footbo".".
'Ah like to know what folks is sayin'," said Alf. "If Ah hadn't read
papper it in th'
Ah shouldn't ha' known owt about them vitamins."
"Tha'd ha' known as much about
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'em as did Methuselum, an' he put up a good feight," said Mary.
"He might ha' been livin' If he'd had a toothri B an' C vitamins pepper- ed in his cowheel pic."
"Ah dar say," said Mary, "but Ah reckon there's nowt worth livin' for when tha'rt freetened o' thi vickles." "There's summat in that," said Alf, "but Ah think sometimes as we eat a bit too mich."
POSTMARK—
BERLIN
The Parkway lights blossomed like tall tulips on straight black stalks. Elsa walked, briskly to keep warm. Her hands were harsh, and dry from scrubbing Mrs. Eisenberger's dirty floors, and now the cold made her fingers sting and burn.
Before she turned down the nar- row-little street, where she lived Elsa looked up at the big museum building at the end of the Parkway. Again to-night she was too tired to bother, but as usual she promised herself that she would spend some of her lonely evenings wandering "Thee speak for thisel," said Mary.through the wide halls, "There's some vickles as welly puts thee, to sleep," said Alf, "an' some as mak's thee feel like one o' them theer barrage ballons."
Before Hans had gone back from the United States to visit his' people in Berlin they had talked of it often and had somehow been too busy." If only now she were not So tired! There was little enough for her at her flat. All day she could work
"If tha watches' a dog," said Mary, "it eats as mich as it con howd, an' then it curls up an' sleeps it off.”
'It doesn't ha' to work for a fore-hard and forget that Hans had not man like me," said Alf.
"That's nature," said Mary. "Every body should have a nap after a meal. Ah'd sooner have a nap nor o' them vitamins as tha talks about."
"If we wor livin' in a perfect world," said Alf sententiously, "that'd be o' reet. But we're not."
"Ah'm fain tha's noticed it," said Mary.
in "We eat too mony fal-de-lals these days," said Alf. "Cream buns Gimme an' trifles. Milliner's meat. summat as has looked o'er a gate."
"Ah like a bit o' pepper an' sawt misel'," said Mary.
"Mind thee." said Alf, "Ah've no vitamins if they objection to them keep their place. If there's vitamins in a beef bo' it'll be reet to me."
"Ah'm not objectin' to 'em misel','" said Mary. "Live an' let live. But. Ah reckon there's summat wrong wi' a good dinner if tha has to use a ready reckoner before tha cooks it."
"There's summat wrong 'wi' it," said Alf, "if tha has to use a hot-watter bottle after tha's etten it."
been allowed to leave Germany be- cause he was still a German. But at night she faced the empty hours and the fear she dared not acknowledge. Already, it seemed so long since he had gone. How many meaningless days lay ahead still she dared guess.
not even
She turned into her tidy little yard and went up the steps, As she open- ed the door to the small, lighted hall she met a tall, thin-faced woman.
"Why, Johannal" Elsa cried in sur- prise. "Were you waiting for me?"
"Oh, Elsa! I didn't think you were coming. I had to get away from Carl for a while," she wailed. """He's so mad with me. I think he hates me."
"Oh, nonsense, Johanna! He's just worried. It's hard on a man to be out of work long."
·
a
"Ach! But he says he was dumb to stay here. He says he should have Hans." Johanna gone home with looked at her old friend pleadingly. "You know I didn't make him stay."
"Come up and have a cup of coffee- with me. I'm tired. Mrs. Eisenber- "Both me gron'feythor an' me gron'-ger may be rich, but she saves mother lived to be o'er eighty," said | week's dirt for me to clean, I thought. Mary, "an' they wouldn't ha' known I'd never be done to-day." if they'd met it."
Elsa flipped open the mail box, her she saw the en- "Me gron❜feythor lived to be ninety," heart quivering as
It had' said Alf, "an' he drunk himsel' gawm-velope, postmarked Berlin. less."
been a long time coming. It was - It had been. creased and soiled. opened and sealed again with a gum-- med strip. Long ago she had' forgotten her first resentment that a wife should be the last to read her- own husband's letters. Now she was glad to receive any assurance that Hans was well.
"Ah think yo' want to tak' care o yo'resel's," said Mary.
"Alf, "there's "Oh, aye," admitted reason in everything. He knew it'd kill him in time.”
"There's a lot in a good foundation," said Mary.
They took off their hats and coats. the: Johanna crumpled down into rocking-chair wearily.
I:
kind. "You're good, Elsa, and shouldn't bring you my troubles."
"And why not? We were friends Elsa poured out even in school."
"Ah'm wi' thee theer," said Alf. "They never thowt they'd rear me The two women went upstairs, and' said Ah looked a Elsa laid the letter on the table. Her Mẹ mother allus poor thing when Ah wor born. Ah fingers ached to open it, but first she dunnot know what Ah should ha' lit the fire under the pot on the back: looked like now if 'hoo'd had to mea-of the old stove. |sure me ration out like they do now, So mich orange juice an clock on at reg'lar intervals for me four tayspoons o' biled milk. Accordin' to th' rules they killed me twenty times o'er:"
"There must ha' been summat tough in thee, lad," said Mary with a smile.
"There wor," said Alf. "It's sur-Johanna's coffee, then her own. She prisin' what ignorance we con stond. put canned milk in a pitcher and two- When tha reckons it up, there wor metal spoons and a china sugar bowl Johanna's cup.. them, theer Vikin's, anthem theer on the table beside
Then at last she took up the letter Romans, an' them theer Huns. Not a damn one on ''em knew owt about and pulled her chair to the light. vitamins or th' proper rules o' livin'. Did they sit down an' weep about it. Not they, lass. They supped an fout an' played ell with world. The
if tha doesn't know as thing is harmful.
it doesn't
Elsa read quickly for a moment.. seem to hurt thee mich. When thi "Hans is well," she said in relief. "Here gron mother said a thing wor nourish I'll read you what he says: "Mein in' happen hoo meant it wor full oliebe frau,I write you from our vitamin B or C an' hoo didn't know it."
sces
"Ah wouldn't care if they settle down to one thing an' stick to it,” said Mary.
"Ah reads statistics,” said Alf.
"All th” istatistics in th' world con- not make me believe as taters make thee fat at lone time an' dunnot at another said
“So which, rond it i “Ah'm prepared th' 'dinn
said
put up wilt. Is
"Baked ribs oʻ
"Aye,"
beef an
"Board
they
There's now 'cause.
"Carl has found nothing yet?” she- questioned, her mind only half on her words. She opened the envelope and spread the thin sheets on her knee,⠀⠀
"Nothing," Johanna' replied dully.. "Ach, read your letter, Elsa."
·
beautiful city. I could wish that you:. were here beside me. I am well.
***You will have read by now many things that may have caused you worry. We all know how the lying democracies have twisted the good words of our Leader. I say to you, my little wife, be calm and know that there will soon be an end of all this sorrow. -N
I saw our cousin Stephan yester- day. How fine and brave he and his tall sons look, in their brown shirts. Their folly mother, his wife, has gone away for an unexpected visit with any friends. Stephan has changed since me you knew him. Now he is a true Ger
man hero, and all look up to him. It: (Continued on Page 17)
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