, 1876-03-10
Mr.. and Mrs. ShOtt.

/
PEELED to remain at home. He reached
home in the evening after an absence of
two days, and as he sat eating his supper
he observed;
81 tell you it was a long ride, and I'm
glad you didn't 60"
Lonesome, was it2" she asked. :
at would have been fearful if hadn't
had young lady in the seat with me"
heEeplied.
What! A young lady in the seat with
youp\ ~
"That is-that is-you know the car
was crowded" he said.
"And you offered her half your seatl"
"I-that is, she sat down there" he
stammered.
Mrs. Shott's ears grew red and her eyes
snapped.
"And so it was lonesome, was it2 You
didn't speak to her, supposed" inquired
the wife.
"Why, IL spoke once or twice, of
course"
"Nice young lady, supposed"
"Well, no, can't say as she was"
"And there you sat and looked your
sweetest, and I'll bet you passed yourself
off as a single man."
81 don't know as did, he replied, as
ne drank his tea.
"Did you inform her that you were
married and had three chldren?" she
demanded.
~ don't remember, though I presume
did,"
"You presume you did Well, pre-
sumo you didn't. l know just how you
sat up there and pretended to be a rich
widower, and took care of her satchels,
and bought popcorn and illustrated pa
pers for herr'
Mr.. Shott inquired if there was any
more biscuit.
.''It's a nice operation your coming
home and expecting to find hot biscuit
for you !" she went on. "Why didn't you
ask if that young lady could make bis
cuitl Why didn't she come hsme to tea
with your
"Nancy, don't be foolish" he observed.
"Don't be foolishl Who is fOOlishl
Here was, scrubbing around and baking
and patching, and breaking my back, and
you were braced up in a seat beside
young lady, stroking those yellow whisk-
ers and talking about your bonds and
mortgages and your lonely widower life."
~ wasn't, F" be briefly observed.
"Daniel, did that girl ride all the way
from Chicago with youi" asked Mrs.
Shot. as she toyed with the handle of
the milking.
"Did shef Lemme see |" he -unlsed, as
he helped himself to the butter.
-.
Shott.
"If she got off at any of the stations l
didn't see her," he admitted.
"And there you sat and sat, and rode
and rode, and you paid out the money we
need so much in the house, for peanuts,
and popcorn, and juba-paste, and pic
ture papersl Daniel, let me see your
walletr
"My walletl"
"Yes, sir, your Wallet"
"What for, Nancy2"
~ want TO see your walleti'
at Is the same one I.always had"
"You left home with twenty-six dollars,
and l know exactly what the trip cost.
Fare to Chicago and back, seventeen dol
lars. Hotel bill, two dollars. I'll allow
one dollar more for incidentals, and now
where's that six dollarsl"
CLIP he stammered.
"You what3"
81 met Green down by the depot and
lent him four dollars"
"Daniel Shot, who is Green, and where
does he livel"
Daniel didn't reply.
"Daniel Shott, you have lied to mep
she exclaimed. aYou didn't want to take
me along owing to the hard times. You
said I'd bother you. If I'd been along
you'd have growled four times mile
about the bother and the expense, and
there you went and bothered with young
lady and squandered four dollars on her,
and here I've worn these old shoes seven
months to save expensel'
"I'll get you a new pair pretty soon, /" he
replied.
"You will, ehl Wheni"
Before the Fourth of July, anyhow"
"You can squander four dollars on an
unknown girl and make me walk four
months for shoes, can you7"
"What unknown girl3"
"Daniel Shott-p'
anu Sho MIX pitCntI came uOHn on
his head, she caught him By the neck-tie,
and the Oldest boy ran out doors and
yelled "frein Several of the neighbors
ran over, and Mrs. Shott met them at the
door and said it was only a burning
chimney. When they asked for Mr.. Shott
she remarked:
"Mr. Shott doesn't feel bit we'll, and
is covered up on the loungeW-Det-Oft
Free Press.