§ 129 An Anti-Expectoration Advocate
The young couple had recently moved to New York from the South and were living in an attractive but somewhat small apartment on Riverside Drive. One afternoon quite unexpectedly callers were announced from downstairs.
“Olga,” the mistress said, turning away from the telephone after telling the telephone operator to send the party up, “guests are coming. I know they’ll want to see Mabel. Please take her into the bathroom and slip a clean frock on her and tidy her up a bit and then send her back to the front room. Hurry now, they can only stay a little while.”
So Mabel, the six-year-old daughter of the household, was gathered up by Olga and hurried out of sight. But Olga in her haste must have left the bathroom door ajar, for just as the visitors had been welcomed there came floating through the hall to them a protesting childish voice uttering the following ultimatum.
“Olga, company or no company, I ain’t goin’ to have my face washed with spit!”