The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-06-15

L utclhTtt folShut We luuSt tuEu ONfi
q new leaf. This is having breakfast
rather late"
"Ips too bad, certainly" responded
Susan.
"Past eight o'clock"
And they both looked up at the old
clock, ticking loudly in the corner,
where ii had licked the same way for
many years, the hands upon the face
of which indicated ten minutes past
S-minutes which could never be re-
called-minutes lost fol- ever,-and
lost because they had been thrown
away in useless morning mapping.
sit makes it hard for me-" said Su-
san. 81 find It almost noon when /
get my mornings work done. Let us
try, John, to reclaim one of the hours
tomorrow"
"We'n do it," answered John, reso-
lutely.
So far as the blame was concerned
in this matter of tardineess neither
could blame the other. They were
not young people. They had passed
the ''silveF wedding" two years be-
fore, and not only were their children
sitting at the table with them, but
grandchIld, bright and promising,
shed a double radiance upon the
household. John LamsOn, in his
middle age, was not forced to count
his hours very carefully for the mat
ter OF sustenance. His attention had
been attracted to the lateness of the
breakfast hour by other considerR-
tiOns. In the first place, it don't look
well and then he knew IL must be
bad for the women folks.
t'It must be bad for you, Susan.
I've thought of it before. And it's
bad in another way" he said with
dignity. "It's physiOlOgieally bad.
Our breakfast can't be more than half
digested when the dinner hour comes,
or. at any rate, our stomacbs can't
have had the proper time for rest.
It'll be almost O'Clock by the time
we get up from the breakfast table
only three hours to noon. Whew p'
Tomorrow morning." said Mrs.
Lamson, with a smile, ''you will get
up when 1 call you ?''.
'rYes. I always do that, you know.
But ought TO get up without being
called"
"Never mind, John. II you start
when called it will be in ample time.
You weren't quite up to time this
morning"
"HoW so 81
"Why, I spoke t. Won when I left
the chamber, and you didn't get up
for long time afteTWard."
"I beg your pardon, my dear, was
up imm edistely."
"Not for half an hour, at least, after
/ came down."
"W5at time did you come DOWN ?n
''The clock struck seven just after /
got into the Kitchen"
"And it was just exactly sevel
when / got out of bed" said John,
emphaticslly.
"That couldn't have BEEN" assert
ed Susan, with equal emphasis AZ
looked at the clock when / entered
the kitchen, and / heard you when
you went into the bathroom
Up TO this point the twain had con-
versed in cheerful tones, and with
smiling faces but here the voices be-
came set and rigid, and the smiles de-
parted. They had been married sew
en and twenty years, and had eX-
peTienced many, very many, just
such passages as this present. Many
and many a time had the sunshine or
their home been darkened by such
clouds OF folly as they were now in
viting.
az tell you,n said John, with
harsh sternness, "that looked at our
chamber clock when got up, and it
was right upon the tick OF seven; and
l know that the two clocks agree"
"I don't care for that,n returned
Susan quickly. "What I know l
knew"
"And what I know, know p' ex.
claimed John, vebemently.
"You think you know" suggested
the wife, with spice of decision IN
her tone.
"77tiIlE p' cried John, with COM
pressed Inns. and dsrkened brow. HI
KNOW 20 And then, with the dicta-
tatiOn of q master, be added
"LoOk for yourself and consider.
YOn know 1t takes me from fifteen to
twenty minutes to wash and dress at
the very quickest. This morning,
after had dressed, l looked to the
CRATE in the sitting room, and attend
ed 10 the furnace in the cellar. Then
went out and broke away the snow
from the cellar windows and, be-
yond that, waited st least ten min
utes for the breakfast bell,--dnd, We
were down at the table before eight.
Will you hsve the kindness to reckon
all that up for yourself, and see how
you come out"
John LsmsOn spoke with taunting
triumph, and there was heat Of ill.,
feeling in look and tone. He felt that
he had conquered, and with a thump
of his knife handle upon the table as q
general might sheath his sword, he ap-
piled himself to the fritter which had
grown cold ON his plate.
Aye,-he had conquered. Susan
was crushed and broken She tried
/ hard to subdue the swelling emotions,
I but they were too much for her. Like
thousands of other New England YO-
men, the labOrs and the cares of ma
teFnity had shattered system once
buoyant and strong, and middle age
= the sge of 6fty-fOund her broken
! in nerve, and dependent greatly up
on surrounding circumstances for
light and happiness.
John I,smsOn. at the same age.
was strGIg and well. In fact, it was
his boast that he never was so well in
his life. Success had attended his
business efforts, and from the grace
ful frame of youth he had grown to
rOtund and substantial pOrtliness. And
through all the years Of his success his
wife had been unto him q helper and
guide helping him in word and
deed, and guiding him by love and
devotion that knew neither variable
ness nor shadow of turning.
I WhnN. tho rzraacnf n0R0afnn
John Lamson saw his wife's eyes fill
with tears. and ssw her cover her
face with her napkin, and saw, also
that the children were in sympathy
with her, his impulse was one OF in
| diRnatinn and II uras nnIr hr O