Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-10-29
What is Home Without a
MOther?'

"What is home without mother -
Well, it is pretty likely to be d rather
lively place if it chances to number
within it's sacred precincts four or five
small children. 1t is not good for man
to be alone, under such circumstances
that ia, not for any great length of
time. Revenge is sweet, and If the
Of it. Very likely the man was in the
habit of thinking the woman had rather
an easy time of it. He had never
noticed that there was ever any great
confusion in the domestic arran ge-
ments-the meals came on time, the
children were kept in presentable
shape, the house had an orderly ap-
pearance, and some way or other mat
tiers at home seemed to slip along nat
urally and in order. A kind husband,
under such circumstances, of course,
would urge his wife to take a summer
vacation. He would be disposed to
pooh at her apprehensions that she
ought not to leave the children. So
the mother was persuaded, much
against her judgment, to go off on Il
trip. Now We can imagine the home
with out mother. For the first day
and night the husband and father be
thought himself of many improve
ments in household management.
When he came home to dinner and
found the boys had converted the par
Tor into menagerie and had the cat
and two or three reighbors CATS Gagged
for wild beasts, he smiled and gently
removed the show to the shady side of
the house, and cautioned the boys to
do nothing now that mother was gone,
that she would disapprove of were she
at home. TIE children at the dinner
table were not quite as clean as usual,
but the husband and father let that
pass and devoted himself solicitously
to seeing that the youn gsters were we'll
| helped. He was resolved to have. the
home happy, He cautioned the child
rem to be good and mind the nurse,
and went away with proud step to
business. When he went home to tea
the baby looked at him sadly out of one
eye. The other had been closed in a
tumble out Of the hammock. There
had been q circus in the back yard all
the afternoon, and being somewhat an
noyed by the appearance of things he
proceeded to club the animals, which
had progressed from cats to dogs, and
to shoe off the actors and actresses
not members of lis own family. In
the heat and dust of the occasion he
found two of his own flock had been
expelled from the premises. He new
er would have known them but for
their dear voices. Such looking child
rem! One had been an acrobat, and.
something unusual for a boy of his age,
his little pants were too narrow in the
seat, and there was little left of them.
The ring was dusty and the boy had
perspired freely, and of his natural col
or none was left except the coler Of his
eyes, which did not look at all
natural in the setting. The other
expelled member had been the ring.
master. He had given the clown too
sharp o cut, and the clown, in dead
earnest, had given the ring master q
thrashlng. 1t must have been some
thing of thrashing for the ring-mas-
ter's appearance was very much
changed. But the family was finally
gathered together, and the odd looking
collection went in to tea. The situa-
ton began to look somewhat discour-
aging. The husband aud father thought
it was probably his luck. During the
night he exercised considerably in his
night-sL;rt, a4h ,ss he could not re-
member his wife Was ever called upon
to engage in. Toward morning be gave
/ one little fellow, vino persisted in
calling for water q spanking.
At the breakfast table he omitted
saying grace, and hurried away as soon
as possible, and without kissing the
children, to business. As the day .-ro-
crossed his good nature returned and
at each meal he insisted upon having
gathered with him at the family board
a number of children equal to the num-
Der of the children in his family, with
out insisting upon knowledge that
they were really his and not his neigh
boris. During the day there was more
or less crockery broken, the baby car
riage lost wheel, and the nurse got
whack over the head, for some officious
interference, from the young man who
had acted as ring master the day before.
The night was passed about as the
night before, only the spanking fell to
the lot of another child and the cat got
in and killed the bird. The husband
and father said to himself that every
thing possible was being done for the
children, but they seemed to miss their
mother. However, that day he wrote
to his wife that she need give herself
no concern about matters at home, for
the children were as happy as could be
and getting along nicely-and he urged
her TO stay as long as she wanted to and
have as good q time as she could.
Which proved that lie was not brute,
or such bad.hearted sort of q man
after all. So the wife and mother
thought when she read the letter.
Si0ue CITY Journal.
Statistics gathered by the Railoau
Age as to the mileage of new railways
now under course of construction or
projected in the United States, exhibits
very clearly the rapid progress of the
country in material development.
Daring the last six months railway en-
terprises to the number of 2S7, aud
covering d contemplated mileage Of
over 20, 900 miles. have been announced