Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1884-01-25

VIII ui''' .sa. 'ae'e Or, / sup
ose"-unsfaciOusly- can taFe of
the guilt, and The shams. and LET Won
have your nap here, though is wictoI
that's what II is, to sleep SUNDAY Ir'
bad example to set to the cbi,dron
and you know it"
But | an 50 sleepy" answered. ber
husband my head is a, heavy as lead
and l cannot Keep my eyes open"
"Gaziness ! sheer laziness!" said his
wife sharply
Mr.. Skinner went down stairs an1
disappeared The last words his wife
heard him say were that there was rest
for the weary, but she was picking nm
the embroidery on the mis.nsed sham
with a PIN and did not heed him.
When she went down stairs he was NOT
in sight and she busiea herself in get
ting dinner, which on SUNDAY took tbe
place Of supper, and thought no more
about him.
She was a distinguished woman: dis
tinguished 1.-THE town where sheliyed.
as being the cleanest housckeeper in it
No girl could be found neat enough to
live with her all the notices in her
house were TO the effect that cleanli-
ness is akin to godliness. She busted
every article Of furniture in the house
several times every day; she scrubbed
so often that the children had chronic
diphthera; she scrubbed So clean that
at last she scrubbed through her kitch-
en- floor into the cellar, and was nearly
lost to the community. 1t was a per.
petual warfare between her and dirt
The front parlor was never opened tC
the family, and although Mr.. Skinner
had furnished it he had never sat dowr
in it a moment since. Its air was tha
Of a tomb, After it had been opened
to company for an afternoon, the chill
dren went round with nannels abou
their thrcas and drank ginger tea. l
was the handsomest parlor in the CON
munity, too, and had the family pic
lures and their marriage certifcdt
framed and hung up there.
Wiiea dinner was ready-and it wa
q good dinner, too, for Mrs. SkinnC
was anotable cook-she asked the chi
dren where their father was.
They did not know.
This seemed strange; she question:
them closely but they had not see
which way he went when he pass
through the room.
'I'issssss sie Soy yrrhcrc lie was going
she asked, wonderingly. for Mr., SIX
ner never went out on Sundays wit
outhis family.
"ile said be was going where ht
have more peace said little Har
Skinner,
"Well, we won't wait dinner
him. sal his wife, and they sat do'
to eat.
But a spell seemed to have fallen |
on them, and when the dinner v
over and cleared away. and they were
the sitting-room with their books, tn,
was sense of dreary loss. and NJ
skinner sat with the Bible open on !
lap, and wondered why he had &C
out and remembered that he had lool
queer.
1t was in consonance with her h
its of living that she got up in the m
die Of these speculations to catch
wandering and belatel fly and indl
him to be annihilated.
strange" she said. as it grew da
"Tll take the children and go down
his mothers and see if he is there. q
if he is, I'll Just give him IA piece
my mind
But he was not there, and his mo
er said Lot had looked badly the
time she saw him, and she tn ught
seemed worried; hoped it wasn't bl
ness troubles.
No, it wasn't business troubles; y
skinner knew that, and she began
wonder if she had cleaned her hush;
out of his mind. 1t came over her W
sudden force that she had been in
habit of driving him from pillow
post at railroad speed and at the end
broom or dust brush. He actu;
found no rest for the sole of his foot
his own house. 1t might have worl
upon his nervous system until he
become suddenly insane. Horri
thought He might have commit
suicide.
She hurried homo with the childr
AL was gloom. She went to his
reau to look for his razor. 1t was
only FIRE arms he possessed-it
gone