The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-03-02
How Jones Discovered His Christmas
Present

Peace, like white-winged dove, has
lately brooded over the Jones family:
but one day last week the demon Of dis
cord entered most unexpectedly. Jones
was getting ready to 90 down town III
the morning, and in looking for hand
kerchief in the family bureau found a
drawer that resisted HMM fact it was
locked, a most unheard-of thing in that
family. At first it only made Jones
mad, because the resistance threw him
across the room, aud bounced him up
against Il chillonirr on the other side,
but when he regained consciousness he
called Maria and asked her with white.
calm lips, where the key was. She said
it was in her pocket. He demanded it,
She refused to give il 10 him; and then
ensued one of those most painful domcs-
tic silcnces which are SD much more
narrowing than words or blows. Jones
went out and came in for three days,
and suikcd during the whole time, for
an awful suspicion had taken possession
of him. He remembered that Maria
had been disiraught and mysterious
lately. with n CLASSY look in her eyes.
He recalled the fact that several times
the door bell had rung in the evening
and she had evaded his inquiry as to
who was there. He knew the evil ten
dcncy of the age and sbuddered at the
idea that Maria had met u handaomcr
mau than he. Grcen-cycd jealousy took
possession of his soul and ate and ate in
to his heart like ranker'
But all things come to an end. One
night Mrs. Jones went ont, and rs she
tripped past the pariOr door she looked
in aud said: "Jep;ha. If You hear the
baby gurgle wish you'd look at him."
That was his opportnnity--now or
never. He crept softly upstairs and en-
tered the peaceful room where their
child was sleeping and turned the gas
down to the merest glimmer; then he
stealthily produced key and fitted it
into the lock of that drawer and pulled
it silently open, and there lay before
him-.he picture of that other man--P
Oh. no! but pair of slippers embroid-
cred in red. green and yellow with u
terra Gotta u. j." in = wreath of eglan-
tine on each too and MERRY Christ
mas" card tackled to the pair. Poor
Jones! this was even worse than he ex-
pected. 1t is enough to break up any
man to thrust pair of embroidered
slippers upon him, and as he stood and
looked and shivered and realized that
the things were four inches too short
and had soft heels. he saw paper
sticking up curiously on one side. 1t
was addressed in mans handwriting
to Mrs. Jones. Ha! ha! this, then, was
q clue!
1t was; it was the bill from the man
who sold the shoes, and it included one
for the velvet and another for the en-
broidery, and Jones was trying to foot
the matter up to his satisfaction when
tremendous blow fell on his head and
fearful howl rent the air as Bridget
shrieked:
"Ow, We mizzable, Uneven, maraudin'
blaggard, I'll tache We to stale into
decent peoples houses - oh. howly
Moses! it's the master himself, bad cess
to him. How was / to tell him from
emmy other thafe?"
Jones patched up q peace with Bridg-
ct, who promised not TO say ''divil u
wurrd'' to Mrs. D., but oh, with what
weary heart did the unhappy man
wait for the coming of Christmas
Detroit Post.