The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-05-01
MARY AIMS TREAT.
by ROBBINS.

We had bsen married just fifteen years
come Tuesday.
My wife had spent "A life Of toll md priva-
ton for my sake" SO she never failed 10
tell me about n dozen times q week, aud it
wasn't always in the most tender tone that
Mary Ann held ur my faults aud d~oforniities
to my reluctant gaze.
On Mondays, especially, We were made
TO feel our utter heArtlessncss, aud one and
all Of us from myself down to the cat, OF rs 1
used 10 feel on those days, from the cat
down to myself were forced 10 think that
We were created for the sole purpose Of
making trouble and work for Mary Ann.
There were very few things which bad
happened during our welded life, which she
forgot to mention on those days. mean,
of course, the things which did not exactly
reflect credit ON myself.
She never went anywhere, never had any
thing, never did anything like other women
did, and all because she had married n brute
instead of a man.
Another man more unchristian than my
self would have hurled the unjust accusa-
lions into Mary AIMS teeth, or l might say
gums, but l bore it all meekly, and with .
patient forbcarance. | meant some day to
heep Goals of fire on her head, and force her
to wish she had never uttered those cruel
words. l meant to astouish my wife with
lily kNhtAphlNNs a NAANAAAA hANN AAAAAl ahhAA y
treat on the fifteenth anniversary of our
wedding day. No one knew of my intention,
/ had never breathed IL TO mortal ears, but
1 would do IT. l would take Mary Ann to
the Union Square Theatre TO see Miss
Mutton" and for one evening she should riot
in fun and fashion to her hearts content.
Yes she should 90 to the play and then
where would she get fuel for her wrath on
the next wash day. She must needs find
Laafl.. ,AVV an1EllNNUga Ia lalNlEW
me with.
/ would with one fell swoop destroy this
most deadly weapon of my abused wife, and
forever more bnsk in the smiles of n pampor-
ed child of luxury.
/ thought it best TO break the news to
Mary Ann two days before the event, rs she
would need to make some preparations for
so momentous an occasion.
1 chose Monday for the time, us l would
then have full occasion for the Goals which
I meant to heap, ''and SO when she had work
ed herself up to the point where she never
had anything, and never won't anywhere, 1
stopped her with my thunderbolt.
Hold, Mary Ann, hold" i cried. You
shall never taunt mo with that last r'lrark
of yours again. You are going somewhere.
j have bought tickets for the Theatre. Two
tickets for the dress circle, think of that, tho
dress circle, and you are going to the play"
'F.r fifteen years you have been n hard
working wife TO me, and noto your re,ndrd is
at hand 1t was well that Mary Ann was
propped up oil the strength of her fancied
wrongs, or this piece of news would have
6oored her Us 1t was, n smile, composed Of
Q mixture of doubt and contempt, over
spread her countenance, as she told me she
should believe she was going, when she
found herself there. and not before.
/ had my proof of my honest intentions,
and forthwith produced the two tickets,
which at last convinced her that she was
really going TO n play. What n change came
oyer her-the clouds broke away from our
connubial sky, and the rest of the washing
was whisked out of the way in half tho
usual time, amid snntches of songs 1 had not
heard in many n day, and never on this
day of tue week-dreadful Monday
must say That when l first conceived the
idea of giving Mary Ann q treat, ! failed to
measure Just the exact amount of trouble il
would cost me to carry it into effect.
The expense of the thing, MS l Ind figured
il, would not be much-two dollars for tick
cts, and, as we were to be seated with fash
.onable people, of course my wife must have
4 pair OF gloves. took good care that they
should not cost me much, for / travelled
about FIVE miles in search of some within my
means, and succeeded in getting q pair so
cheap Us to fill me with satisfaction. Then
Mary Ann must have q stow after the play,
for when / do n thing, / do it up brown.
All told, l reckoned on disbursing at least
three dollars and u half on this, our fifteenth
Anniversary.
The expense was settled, but the trouble
which we must next think OF, was the dis
posal of our eight children. 1t would never
do to leave them alone till midnight; my
wife said some one might run away with
them, or they nigh sett themselves on fire;
the latter danger was far the most imminent,
thought, but concluded it was safer for me
not to shy SO at that time. At last, when I
had almost determined to try and dispose of
my tickets, for a little off, and give the
whole thing up, our neighbor across the
hall offered to sit up with the children, pro-
vided we gave her some beer to keep her
eyes open. We agreed to this, and our
greatest trouble was over-nt least We
Thought SO at the time-but looking back
upon hat night, / think it was mere
nothing to what followed.
Mary Ann commenced to get ready early
In the day, and when 1 got home from
work, l found that I must forego my
usual warm meal, as my wife didn't pro-
pose to get her face into n blaze for the
whole night" over that o stove, so l
made my supper on cold beans and bread.
lready l began to regret my rashness,
~ "bht AoN sNNSN ANA "a
fashion must endure in their own homes.
Here was my wife, only just making her
debut into fashionable life, and ! must
MUNICH on cold beans and bread, while she
was identifying herself before our mirror
seven by nine inches
All at once my reyerie was broken in
upon by my wife, who rushed into the room.
h~ourishing the pair of gloves which / had
80 carefully selected at such inconvenience
to myself. She hnng them at my hend, and
called me q miser-think of that!
why, Mary Ann" cried I ''what is the
matter I"
You old fool, they are both for the same
hand, and sure enough they were, that nc
eounted for the low price which / had been
so happy over. I vowed to be avenged on
the dishonest s~hopkeeper the next day, bu,
what was mi wife to do with her bare hands
for tonight? For some time ] thought l
should surely have to run out and Try to sell
my tickets. but our friend across the hall