Fat and Lean
This story was told by lame Lewellyn Sangster to his aunt Margaret, uncle Fred, cousin Anita and Sam the hired man.
Nan Heberlein and Lula Manting were fast friends. They were fond of meeting at each others’ homes and pretending to sew; sometimes they did sew; sometimes they promptly adjourned and went to the movies; sometimes they called in their lady friends who were of the same order of busy, and played 500, or bridge, or some other game; but always they talked; and laughed; and ate. They were not singular people: they fitly represented the average American lady who does most of her own work, feeds and dresses her children and sends them to school, and in the afternoon finds an hour or more to relax.
Nan was tall and slim, Lula was getting plump—at least so her friends called it; her unfriends said she was pursey. But no one was so conscious of her too great rotundity as Lula herself. It was constantly in the back of her mind and frequently in a front pew. She liked to discuss it with her friends and her husband—complainingly, anxiously, plaintively, contemplatively, suggestively and in various other ways. Jake listened and grunted; sometimes he forgot to listen and grunt whilehis mind was dwelling on the quantity of sugar, or molasses, or something else needed in the store. She occasionally noted this lack of attention on Jake’s part but did not really resent it, for, she thought; if he doesn’t pay much attention to it he probably still likes me all right. But if he should notice much, or if it should increase, I must certainly do something. But this something, what should it be? What method must be adopted? She consulted the doctor on his next visit. That much harassed and suffering servant of humanity suggested more exercise and careful avoidance of fat and sugar in the diet. He also suggested that it would be well to eat very sparingly and always leave the table hungry. This gave her something to do, and she straightway began a course of sprouts with herself. It was a sore trial to eat too little, but she did it. Was it not worth something to retain Jake’s admiration and desolation to lose it?
This whole matter was duly discussed and thoroughly considered, forwards, backwards and sideways, when she and Nan next met. After which Nan trotted outhertrouble. It was necessary, she said, that she should gain weight. Tom had commented on her slimness, compared her to a rail and several other articles more noted for length than breadth. Nan only weighed 115. She shouldweigh at least 140. How could she increase her weight? Lula had been reading up about such mattersin a book recommended by Dr. Dash, and she would see what he said and report.
This was done and Nan was recommended to eat plenty of raw eggs every day. A dozen a day would not be too many. If she could not afford so many eat as many as she thought she could afford; and drink lots of milk. If this would not make her fat nothing would. It was necessary, too, to take lots of exercise. The doctors say that exercise is necessary to health, and whether you are to get thin or fat exercise is of first importance.
After two weeks of self denial and exercise to excess, as she thought, Lula, who had weighed 160, found her net reduced to 155. This seemed to her hard lines. The game was not worth the candle. But she persevered and at the end of two weeks more had fallen to 150. This was encouraging, but she began to fear she would not be able to hold out forever. She was so desperately hungry! Her dreams began to be haunted by luscious feasts. She woke up in the night, ravenous. She told Jake that if she were not desperately fond of him she would bite him. At this, Jake only grunted. The worst deprivation was candy. She was extravagantly fond of it, but the doctor sternly forbade it. Candy, fat and sugar, as well as starchy foods were to be eschewed; even potatoes were forbidden.
Nan, on the contrary, had eaten raw eggs and milk until she gagged every time she undertook to eat a raw egg in milk. Lula suggested using a little brandy to give a flavor, but this soon palled. She did manage to reach 118 but halted there. Lula halted, too, on the downward path, at 150. No amount of fasting or exercise seemed to avail. About this time she discovered that her skin was getting wrinkled and that, worst of all, wrinkles were forming on her face. After much consultation it was decided that a visit to a beauty doctor might possibly remedy this. Instead of one visit several were required. All this time her appetite was growing mightier and mightier. Finally she fell. They had been shopping together. She had seen candy displayed until she was reckless. In this mood, after leaving Nan, she hurried into a candy shop with the air of a criminal, bought and ate half a pound. Nothing serious happened immediately, so in a few days she bought and ate again—clandestinely. Made reckless by lack of immediate results she resumed her old habits and presently found her weight increasing rapidly—more rapidly than it had gone down.
Nan had become discouraged. She felt well—better than she had felt for a long time. She had, in fact, before this been eating too little. Too many meals had beenpassed with nothing eaten but tea and toast—now she was really nourished for the first time in years.
About this time she heard some one remark that yeast was a very fattening food, and that she herself had put on twenty pounds by eating a cake daily for three months. So Nan bought a cake and ate it with many qualms. It was certainly not very agreeable to the taste. She persevered, however, and after two weeks discovered that she was indeed gaining. In fact she began to get fat. Slowly but steadily she put on weight until she became alarmed. She was obliged to buy an entire new outfit and although she stopped the yeast cakes she still swelled. Now in despair she began, like Lula, to diet.
But imagine if you can all the discussions, the visits to and fro, the consultations without end to which these fluctuations led. In mercy I have not recounted them—but they took place.
Lula did her own washing, rolled on the floor every morning, practised calisthenics. Wonderful to relate, she began to lose flesh steadily; her skin wrinkled and her color faded. She became alarmed and consulted the doctor who failed to find anything wrong. Now Lula is desperately trying to lay on flesh while Nan is just as determinedly reducing.
“I never realized before,” said Lewellyn, “what an awful thing it must be to be a woman.”
“It is indeed piteous,” said Sam. “The poor things have to wear skirts; they are not allowed to put their feet on the table or spit tobacco juice on the stove. But then they are freely allowed to do the washing and such light work as taking care of ten or twelve children.”
“You must remember the disabilities she suffers,” said Fred. “She is not allowed to go to war, nor is she expected to haul out manure in the hot weather. When the time comes for putting in wheat I know of nothing more enjoyable than hauling out manure and spreading it on the field. The smell is appetizing, and like most perfume, it clings. The flies are active and make the horses playful. I seldom enjoy life so much as then; and it worries me that the dear ladies are not privileged to participate.”
“Sam is right,” said Anita, “The women are privileged to bring up the children. They bear the brunt of their childish impatience, recklessness and disobedience. They stay up with them nights when they are sick and they are expected to be patient and long suffering with husbands and children when they can scarcely drag one foot after the other. Ihaveknown of cases,” she continued, “where the women hauled coal out of the cellars habitually,and cases are known where women plow, haul manure, clean out dirty stables and help in the field. I don’t really think the women need complain that their work is lacking either in quality, quantity or variety.”