Belles on their Toes

were flushed he was staring at the floor. He knew all eyes were on him, and he didn't want to meet them.
    Mother pulled off the last of the paper, and the thing stood naked and revealed.
    To begin with, let us say it was a very big china ash tray, large enough to accommodate a whole family of chain smokers, which our family certainly was not.
    Besides being large, it was hideous. It was, in fact, possibly one of the most hideous ash trays ever to come out of the Twentieth Century, which in future centuries may become best known for its production the atomic bomb and hideous ash trays.
    The main bowl was of white porcelain and looked as if it had no business being in the parlor. It was decorated with green and gilt cupids, nude except for floating pink ribbons that would have interested Isaac Newton. Around its perimeter were four holes, from which four unused cigarettes protruded. If one could forget the cupids, which one couldn't, the whole would have resembled the business portion of a cow, inverted and ready to milk.
    A look of pained incredulity, that any such monstrosity could be devised by a fellow human being, passed briefly across Mother's face. For a moment she couldn't say anything.
    "I guess you don't like it," said Dan, now looking straight at her. "It doesn't look like much, once you get it home from the store."
    Mother tried to talk, but at first nothing came, Frank almost laughed, but Anne kicked him.
    "I thought it was wrapped real nice, anyway," Dan said desperately, fighting off tears. "And the cupies are pretty, even if nobody smokes."
    "Why Danny, dear," Mother whispered, now fully recovered, "it's just what I've always wanted. And just what we need around here, especially when there's company. Do you mean to tell me you picked this out all by yourself?"
    She went over to him and kissed him.
    "Aw," said Dan, and his eyes were aglow now, "it's not so much. Do you really like it?"
    "Look at it, children," Mother told us. "Isn’t it simply lovely? Such perfect taste. And so practical."
    "It only cost fifteen cents, too," Dan crowed.
    "Think of that, children," Mother said. "Only fifteen cents."
    "The price is right," Martha conceded. "It's really beautiful, Dan."
    "Some people have all the luck," Anne said, eying the ten similar packages. "I sure wish someone would give me something like that."
    "Do you, honest?" asked Dan. "Honest?"
    "Gosh, yes," said Anne.
    "Gee, me too," said Frank.
    "Same here," said Ernestine. "Lucky Mother!"
    Frank went over to the row of presents and picked up another one. "To Fred with love from Dan," he read.
    "Gee, give it here," said Fred, who knew a cue when he heard one. "I wonder what in the world it can be?"
    Fred started to shred off the green paper. Dan relaxed and sighed. It was a sigh of ecstasy.

13
PLATFORM MANNERS

    Somehow Mother found the time to take part in Sunday school and Parent-Teacher affairs, to serve on the Montclair Library Board, and to make motion Study speeches throughout the country. Her platform manner was as natural as if she were talking to us in the parlor. Often she'd crochet or knit until she was introduced. She had a knack of popularizing a technical subject, by illustrating her points with everyday experiences. Her talks always went over well, and colleges and labor and management groups extended her an increasing number of invitations.
    The money from the speeches didn't go toward running the house. Mother used it to set up special funds, so she could give us things that we wanted, but which the budget couldn't otherwise afford.
    "The speech in Chicago will go for Martha's new overcoat," she'd say as she ran over her itinerary with us, "and the one in Detroit will be for Ernestine's college wardrobe."
    All of us wanted a small sailboat for Nantucket. Mother had Martha open a separate savings account at the bank—the Gilbreth Boat Fund. Certain speeches were earmarked for that account, and within two years it reached its quota.
    Mother traveled by bus or upper berth, to keep her expenses down to a minimum. Most of the speeches were on week ends, so they didn't interfere with the course.
    None of us liked her to be away from home. But we could see she was doing it for us, and it was easy to cooperate.
    No fees, of course, were connected with the talks Mother made at our schools, and we thought that these were speeches she could well forego. In fact we would very much have preferred it, because they were a source of constant