"Over the Hill"

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3439, 5 March 1932, Page 2 (Supplement)

"Over the Hill"

Copyright, 1931, by the Fox Film Corporation,

Synopsis of Preceding Chapter. Life in the Shelby household, a farm on the outskirts of an Ohio village, revolves around Mrs Shelby. She gets her brood of three boys and a daughter off to school early in the morning, feeds her shiftless husband about noon when he arises, does the washing, and earns small sums by doing sewing for the neighbours. And she is happy doing it in spite of the long hours. Isaac, the oldest boy, who is about thirteen or fourteen, fawns upon his school teacher, and learns the Ten Commandments to win a prize at Sunday School. Thomas is fond of drawing. Johnny, a likeable mischievous chap, is his mother's favourite. He is in love with Isabelle, a little girl who lives nearby. Susan, the daughter, is the baby of the family.

CHAPTER 11. Sixteen years had greyed Ma Shelby's hair. It was a'most white. Her face, however, was benignly pleasant, and was almost radiant the day before Christmas. Her lankly h ad gathered aboux hsr ££~l2:

Isaac, who had become a collector for a furniture house in the nearby village, rl£d returned with his wife, Minnie; Thomas, fo? whom the Shelbys had mortgaged the farm so that he could study art in New York, was back with his bride, Phyllis. Even Susan had acquired a husband and was home for the day. Of the four children, Johnny was the only one remaining unmarried. He was sti'l living at home, but Isabelle was a frequent visitor. As usual, Ma was the busiest person in the household. Most of the young people had gathered in the parlour, but Ma was hurrying from one place to another in the kitchen. Dishes were piled on a metal shelf at the rear of the kitchen range to keep them warm. The aroma of an enormous turkey in the oven filled the room. Outside the air was crisp and clear. Enough snow had faLen to make sleighing possible.

Pa rambled into the kitchen leisurely, as usual. "How's the turkey, Ma? " " Just done to a turn," she told him after testing it with a fork. Susan and Isabelle helped serve the soup. The group gathered around the table and waited. Isaac, grown pompous and feeling his importance, de'ayed the start of the meal while he told how he had dispossessed a family for failure to pay instalments on furniture.

" What a man! " interjected Johnny, with mock admiration.

Isaac's conceit could not be punctured easily. " I'm glad to hear you admit it, Johnny—eh, Thomas ? " Mr Shelby bustled in from the kitchen with a. big dish of mashed potatoes and was astonished to find nobody had begun eating. " Children, why haven't you started on your soup? " " Isaac ain't said grace yet," Thomas explained. " I was waiting for you, Ma," Isaac told her.

Mrs She"by beamed, and put her arms about him. " Isaac never changes! Always thinking of his mother! "

Johnny grinned derisively. " Same old heart of oak! Give you the sleeves right out of his vest—wrapped up in an appropriate verse from the Scripture! " " A little Scripture wouldn't hurt you any," suggested Isaac sharply. Pa Shelby eyed his chilling soup and ended the argument. Isaac began to say grace with bowed head. He went on and on, enjoying the sound of his voice. Phyllis stuck her finger in her soup to see whether it was getting cold. He concluded with—" and bless our dear parents—reward them for their unfailing love—their labours and sacrifices—for the kindly lessons of honour and obedience which we learned at their knees."

Pa and Ma beamed with happy pride. In the evening the time honoured custom of decorating the Christmas trees was begun. While Ma was on the second floor searching for the tree ornaments Thomas unwrapped a painting and held it up for the admiration of the group. Pa studied it, finally shaking his head to indicate he was puzzled. " Looks like a load of firewood falling down stairs," he said. Thomas was a bit hurt. " It's a portrait of Ma! I painted it from memory for the Modern Exhibition."

Serial \Story In Six Instalments. !

"Aren't you holding it upside down? " asked Johnny. Isaac was emphatically disgusted. " Do you mean to say that's the best you can do after three years in that New York art school? " Thomas was sincere. " It's the best thing I've ever done. Everybody says so. Incidentally, it won a cash prize for £IOO I could sell it for more than that, but I thought Ma might like it for a Christmas present."

"What'd you do with the £100? " asked Isaac scepticallv. "It costs money to live in New York," Thomas replied a bit ruefully. Xv'ith a faint sneer Isaac suggested —" Guess you've forgotten that Pa and Ma mortgaged this house to put you through that art school. " " Don't worry! " Thomas responded resentfully. " I'm going to pay them back as soon as I get on my feet."

Again Pa acted as peacemaker. "No hurry, son," he interrupted cheerfully. " We're getting along all right. I'll be able to take «p the mortgage myseii by the time it comes due." They questioned him in amazement, but he was humorously mysterious, and to prove he had money he displayed a beautiful caseo pin which he had purchased as a Christl!} as P re ~ sent for Ma.

They heard her descending the stairs, so he hastily concealed it in his trousers pocket.Ma clambered about on a stepladder, arranging the tinsel and bits of cotton wadding intended to look like snow. Pa busied himself with his pliers and a tang'e of wires for the electric lights. When this had been finished he discovered he had forgotten the bulbs. Ma told him they were in the drawer under the sugar bin in the kitchen.

" Say, Ma, what's Pa working at nowadays? " asked Isaac as soon as he had gone out. She smiled happily. " Well, that's what everybody's been asking me — and all I can tell you is, it's a sort of invention—"

"Oh! ' interrupted Isaac, deeply impressed. Ma continued. " I can't get Pa to te'l me anything about it—but he's been working on it out in the barn behind locked doors—because it isn't patented yet—for quite a while—and he's been getting along so well on it that some people have been advancing him money on it—and —" Pa's return interrupted her. She quickly changed the subject, and, turning to Isabelle, said: " Isabe'le, hand me those silver horses."

Pa resumed work on the tree, placing the tiny bulbs one by one. Thomas, in a haif whisper, addressed Isaac. " Say, Isaac, now that you've satisfied your curiosity, I'd like to satisfy mine—what are you giving: Pa and Ma for Christmas? " Isaac was caught off guard. He hesitated for a moment and cleared his throat.

" Well, you see," he told him, " business has been kind of bad and living's high—so the best Minnie and I could do this year—ah—was to bring Pa and Ma—our—ah —good wishes."

Decoration of the tree went on slowly. Ma reverently supervised the placing of the. Star of Bethlehem at the very top. Finally the presents were assembled in packages about the base of the tree to be opened the following morning.

Isabelle and Johnny slipped out quietly. He intended to take her home. As they reached the outside they turned and looked into the living room window.

" I don't think I ever saw your mother so happy," Isabelle said as they watched. " She always is when the kids come home," Johnny told her, " but I wish she wouldn't try to do so much." Isabe'le seemed a bit surprised as they started to walk away through the crisp snow. " Why! That's what makes her so happy. When you love someone it seem you can never do enough." Johnny took her arm as they neared the road. "But it's our turn now. She's pretty old, and we ought to be doing all these things for her." "You're doing your share, Johnny," she told him admiringly. " She'd have had a pretty hard time if you hadn't stayed home." " I never could have done it if you hadn't been willing to wait," he declared with feeling. They strolled on in the darkness, keeping to the hard tracks in the snow left by passing sleighs. (To be continued.)