The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-05-26
Doing Errands For His Wife.


murely back of a bank of dress goods,
while his wife with a loaf of bread in one
hand and knife in the other, as if she was
about to slice the former for dinner,
stood close by, her face beaming with
eXultant anticipation. After dinner his
wife said to him:
John, Mrs. Sanford wants you to 90
to Morgan's and tell them to send up a
spool of silk twist, blue, just like this
sample" Showing him apiece of the silk,
about an inch square,; don't forget to
take it with you-and two spools of silk,
A, and yard of black cambria"
1t is noticeable that wife on these oc-
casions carefully shuns the pronouns Il"
and eve" 1t is always the dressmaker
who wants the material.
You won't'forget, will you, John?"
added his wife, pleadingly e She'll be
put back seriously if she don't have these
things this afternoon"
q won't forget" said the man across
the way. "Now what is it you want me
to get?"
. The articles were again enumerated,
the sample carefully tucked away in his
NcSJ pOChcJ, anu lie SJdTLGU.
When he reached home at tea time he
was tired but hopeful. The first saluta-
ton he received came from his wife, and
was not noticeable for its tenderness.
You are nice one to do an errand,
amt you? What did / send you after?"
she tartly inquired. ..t
OF course he knew what she had sent
him after, but, being confronted sounex-
pectedly with demand for information
he was completely COMPOUNDED.
Here that man came here" she went
on, with a yard of canvas. Who said
anything about canvass"
81 don't know, I'm sure" he vaguely
answered.
"Nor nobody else. I said cambria
just as plain us l could say it, and if
you'd had your wits about you there
would have been no mistake. That man
didn't get here till four O'clock, and then
he had to 90 back after the cambria, and
when he got here with it the afternoon
was gone. | might've known better than
to have sent you after anything. l
might better have left my work and went
after it myself. But l thought you
could have done that much to help me-"
The man across the way looked very
much distressed, and sat down to tea
with scarcely any appetite.
The next morning, as he was starting
away, his wife suddenly overhauled him
with
Now, John, l do wish you would try
to do an errand right this time. Mrs.
Sanford wants two more spools of that
twist, a roll of half-inch tape-be sure
to get the half inch-and whalebone.
Now, will you be sure to attend to it
right away"
The unhappy man promised, and start
ed forthwith at "a lively pace, repeating
over and over again the articles desired
Half way down town he was stopped
by friend who wanted to know what
he thought of Louisiana, and, this engen-
dering q desire on his part to learn his
friends opinion, some ten minutes were
consumed in the interchange of views.
When he got started again he was aware
that the thread of his mission was some
what entangled, but trusted to the pres
ence of the store and the inventive facul-
ty of the clerk to help him out.
Both props failed him at the critical
moment. To save his life he could not
tell single one of the articles he was
sent for. In vain he searched his pockets,
and rubbed his ear, and stared about
not ray of light came to him. There
being nothing else to do he posted back
home for information, and returned Il
half-hour later, fully heated but tri-
umphant.
He was starting to his work after din
ner, when his wife pleasantly OBJ
served
You did SO well this morning, John,
that Mrs. Sanford is encouraged to try you
again" .n..
The man across the way visibly WINGED.
She wants you to stop in at Morgan's
and get whalebone, two sticks of brown
braid, spool of basting cotton, and"
What's that?" calculated the unhap-
Ply man, with an expression of indiffer-
emily concealed apprehension on his face.
whalebone, two sticks of brown
braid-here's a sample-a spool Of bast-
ing cotton and yard of twill You can
get them when you go down. and bring
them home with you tonight"
lie bolted away at once, not even paus-
ing to close the door. The spectacle as
he rushed through the streets, with no
thought but OF the errand, would make
Mrs. LivermOre less concerned than she
is about "What to do with our girls"
He skipped into the store and cried to
the clerk:
Zone brown whalebone Just like this
Brown whalebone" calculated the
clerk, in establishment.
The man across the way stopped to ask
if there was no brown whalebone, and
the hesitation ruined him. The rest of
the articles, excepting the twill, of which
he had forgotten the quantity, fell back
from the position he had placed them
into chaotic mass.
With an exclamation of pain ana anger
he galloped back to the house for re-
newal of the particulars.
Maria, said he to his wife, in tone
of great confidence, C. thought it would
be good plan, in order to save money,
to hire part of Morgan's store for your
dressmaker until she got your work done,
but, as the expense is more than l could
possibly stand, have got weeks vaca-
ton from the shop instead, and now |
am able to devote my entire time to her ="