Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-31
A WINTER EVENINGS ADVENTURE
From Harper's Bazaar. !

will at once be perceived that 1 am never able
to forget that Monday is wash-day. On thus
rsf ta ,hs Monday every thing had been even
every one In the house, including the baby, had
been severely Jared, and it was with a deem
gasp OF relief that / seated myself at We
O'CLOCK IN our htt.e parlor to await the arrival
of my better half. The washing was over the
dinner-a fairly good one for Monday-was in
progress. The baby vas asleep, the servants
were uanquilized. Still, there Is no rose with
out Its thorn. consequently my quiet hour was
disturbed by an uneasy fear of being forcel to
goout ID the wi slippery, sleety, snowy sire IT'S
The truth Is this: Anastasus, who is ALSO
lutely perfect in all other respects is fond of
going out in the evening. am not. Now on
thls particular, memorable, and ever to- be-ac-
cursed Monday evening We had three invita-
tons; therefore il was that / welcomed INV be-
loved with nervous tremOr, and a determine
ton to make home particularly pleasant. Par
teularly pleasant, too, he seemed to find il, and
after a cheerful little dinner he retired TO the
sofa with cigar, and the request that I.wouh
read him to sleep. Never was command obeyed
with greater alacrity, and in a short time sleep
knit up my raveled sleeve OF care and Anasta-
sius sHOred. Relieved and grateful, | settled
myself In an easy chair, and presently the pa
ges OF AiddlemdTch became strangely blurred
the dancing freight dwindled to a dull red
eye, SOFT, haZy peace began to envelop me-
when refreshed and CHEEKY voice exclaimed
:" Deary, will you be good enough to tell me
the time. the exact time?"
glanced At the clock. Only $50. When did
Nlluc tNcT pass 80 SlOWiNs w TN an iron rectl-
tude which the excess Of temptation ever de-
velops in an upright nature, and for which |
shall always respect myself, did not put for
ward the hand OF the clock, but replied, calmly,
invent J-one minutes past eight"
"Twenty-one, Ell? Are you sure?,
row there Is nothing more trying to the fe-
male mind appeal to every married woman
than this assumption on the part OF mankind
that they alone are lit to manage or wind a
clock, or even TO see the time correctly.
Mastering the indignation it invariably pro-
VI frfrf full
:" IL Is now tEenty-one minutes and half
1t j., eb?' replied Anastasius, not in the
least PEI etrated. ss mad int6 n |, d him to be,
by a sense OF his rudeness. "Well, it is too late
for the C mmittee, that is certain. Betty dear
should Ike a c.H of tea, and a. you are up,
please tell me what manner of night it is"
. IL Is bitter cold, cruel night, / answered
II should be sorry to send dog into the streets
Don't You hear how the wind is blowing?'
That means you don't want to go out your-
SELF said Anastasius, with provoking per-
Honor bright'
- No." said I. slowly-'no, it does notD And
then, urged to further truthfulness by the con-
vletIon that Fate was fighting against me, /
added, desperately, The g Is cloadless, ana
the stars are shining"
That's as it should be-" exclaimed Anasta-
sius, jumping up with aiacrity. "Jones is the
best fellow in the world, and should not like
TO disappoint him to nj ght, particularly as Mrs
Jones made such point of our going, you saw.
II the weather is at all decent, we really ought
to go tonight: Don't you think 50? What do
NOu w hat Ola MIS-. zones saw
81 think replied l. making violent and
successful effort 10 be calm and dispassionate
that could hardly have explained to you dis
tinctly the nature of Mrs. Jones's invitation.
This Is Not such very special occasion as you
3 sm 10 Imagine, but merely one OF her regular
receptions. She happened only to ask Us so
particularly to this one because she met Ma
dame Hartman coming down in the cars to-day,
and As she promised to come and try the new
piano, Mrs, Jones knew We should be delighted
TO meet her and hear her play. She will re-
fhrsRr,r
and OF cour Madame Hartmann will be quite
a. likely to be there as We shall ourselves
why didn't you tell me that berore?' said
Anastasius, In tone defy any woman living
not TO resent-a tone familiar, doubt not to
many wives, which implies clearly that the
vie OF mans bosom, from pure perversity,
e1ther mis- represents facts or willfuily with
holds them. "Strange,' he continued. re-
hectively, THAT a woman never can represent
facts correctly-neyer can, never. However"
he added, briskly, edo tell me whether it is
likely to snow?o
No." replied I. with a sinking heart; and
~ mped Anlt as US to begin his toilette.
FOR the next hour the vibrations Of his mind
were enough to drive a woman distracted.
When half dressed he suddenly felt cold and
resolved to stay at home. Then again he would
CO. again he wouldn't, until, when at nine
O'Clock he had the impudence to assert that
was shameiully derelict in my duty in not ac-
company ing him, was SO distraught that as
sented. 10 spite him, and thereby most sign ally
bit of my own lose; for neither during the
evening NOR subsequently has the wretch ever
expressed any penitence.
AS we closed the door of the house behind US,
Anastasius suggested that we should take
the - street cars, and change II the SIKH
avenue cars at Thirty-fourth street. OF course
as the weather was particularly unsuited to pc
forthcoming, and, equally OF course, We pro-
ceeded, stumbling and struggling thro 4 III the
snow, TO University Place Now walk of five
blocks across the town in the teeth of a cutting
January blast is not calculated TO raise tue
spirits or to cool the temper, however it may
and does pierce to the marrow of ones bones;
but when all this suffering is intensified by the
provoking and, may say, under the circum-
stances, revolving cheerfulness OF a husband
who has insisted on facing the weather from
pure perversity and obstin macy, such a Journey
rs almost too gTievous to be endured; and BY
the time Anastaslus had given vent to the
twentieth utterance OF his pleasure that We
should be going up to dear old Jones's on lust
such stormy eyening-''for the old boy was
one Of the best and dearest old Fellows in the
world, and ii would show how anxious We were
TO GOMEZ was goaded to such a pitch of ex-
asperation that i can only marvel at my self
command in not pushing him into a snow
bank, even at the risk of falling in myself
As We stood shiyeriug on the c]rner at u nj
yersity Place, made one last appeal for
mercy:
- Very few cars seem to be running, )" said L,
ehBging hard 10 my husbands arm, to shos
him what weight a woman neces arily was in
such slippery streets. Don't Won think it very
iE IN that we can get Up to Fity-iflh street
may thing like decent time?''
NOta ALL said Ans aslus dacisivaIv
Ihey VIII have four horses and get us IN
thel Q II 10 time at all. Bes' les don't in the
lee r'inh being late. There's a car powio
J Tn cit was, deed, groaning and creakino
thisusu Ine snow, the driver shouting AMI
swearing, the horses houndering and slioping
and general misery and disco mfort preyaiIins
However, We b vi no choice, unin yitino a.
the ear looked. In we scrambled and Sere
mac as 20 sammately miortable as only
a New YORK public vehicle can make a traveller
At last, somewhere up town, We came to a dead
halt, and after bearing II in patience for II We
minutes-indeed, endeavoring to ignore 1t BY a
gay and CHEEKY maDner-Anas.asius humbied
himself so far ss TO 60 to the door and inq lire
into the delay.
"Car ahead stopping" was all the comfort
we got.
Five minutes more elapsed, at the end of
which Ansstasius obser ved, in a pointed aud,
must cay, ungrat full tone, that If had been
atoas, he would have been at Fifty nth street
by this time"
-" No doubt" replied, calmly; adding. with
a distinctness which hoped wonld be unmts
taxable, and prevent the proposal I saw was
npending, that cit was pity 1 had come at
al, rs my lame foot felt worse than 1t had for
some weeks" In the very teeth of tbs asssr-
ton, my protector, after fdgeting mp and do xn
the car for a moment, had the imtertins n q to
gu ;gest that we had better get out and W ak
until the car caught mp with us / neyati yed
tas with austere trmness, but at the end OF