The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-09-27

rolled up, it occurred to him that there
was clear case in which he could
anticipate the wishes Of his poor tired
tongue tied wife. With him to think
was to act, so ont went the carpet |
upon the lawn; but scarcely had he
finished his task before he heard his
wife tugging and painting on the stairs,
trying to get the carpets into the house |
again, and back into their respective |
rooms. He had evidently been mis-
taken, and he hastened to make |
amends by restoring the carpets to their
former places; then, from fear of doing |
more harm than good, he stood aside
and allowed destiny to take its course.
The labors of the day pressed heavily
upon Mrs. Benton, and toward its
close she essayed the dumb language of
pantomine to obtain from her husband
some help in getting a room ready for
occupancy before bed time. But either
Johns perception of this language was
somewhat obtuse, or else Mrs. Benton's
manner of using it was imperfect, for
she was compelled to abandon it as USE
less, after going through many fantas-
tic contortions of her body, and many
facial expressions that filled John with
astonishment. She at last wound up
with a look of disgust so full of mean
ing that the poor fellow thought he
read in it plainly enough: 81 should
think any fool could understand that"
But John was not the fool to compre-
hend it, so pantomine had to be given
up.
Many ludicrous blunders we're the
inevitable consequence Of this abandon
ment of the customary mode of con-
yeying thought, the double orders
given to the groceryman and the
butcher, the duplicate purchases of all
sorts OF odds and ends, led to much
confusion and yexation in the Benton
household.
One morning John Benton thought
he detected unusual preparations going
on in the culinary department, grand
overhauling and dusting of the best
china set, and sundry other indications
of some unusual event. Mrs. Benton
tried in her dumb show manner to
refresh his memory in regard to an ex-
pected visit of which he had been pre-
viously made aware, but which had
slipped his somewhat defective memory.
But she could not tell whether or not
she had succeeded in her efforts to en-
tighten him. About noon John came
in as usual to dinner, to find room
full of visitors, friends of Mrs. Ben
ton. Now John, although not vain
man, would rather have had some
notification of the event, so that he
need not have appeared in their pres
enee in his working garments; but as
there was now no help for it he tried to
make the best of the sltuatian and
greeted the visitors in rather an awk-
ward fashion. The latter no doubt
attributed Mrs. Benton's silence to-
ward her husband to modification at
his personal appearance. But after all
this affair passed without the exposure
50 much dreaded by both parties.
John Benton had promised his wife,
previous to the unhappy occurrence
that had placed this gulf of silence
between them, money to purchase a
new dress for herself. One day he laid
roll of bills upon the table, and called
her attention toit. She nodded assent,
and John was satisfied that her memory
was good for any thing that related to
her personal adornment. But what
was his surprise and disgust when she
returned from town and gave him the
grocer's receipted bill
One morning, upon Johns return
from the city, he astonished his wife
by bringing with him lad, whom he
ushered into the kitchen with the re-
mark:
"Now, Teddy, this is your home, and
that is your mistress, Mrs. Benton,
and whatever she requires of you, you
are 10 10, OF course" "
John Benton, in the utter loneliness
of the heart, and fearing less his unused
tongue should become paralyzed by
this prolonged inactivity, or that he
should lose his voice for want OF
practice, had, like Robinson Crusoe,
brought home little man Friday to
talk to, and also to use as a mouthpiece
for himself and wife. Things now
went on with less laundering and un-
certainty, for Teddy was made the
medium for conveying the thoughts OF
wishes alternately from one to the
other. But John monopolized so much
of the boys companionship in his new
found delight at giving vent to speech,
that Mrs. Benton still led a rather
lonely life.
But" thought she, "what is sauce
for the goose ought to be sauce for the
, gander, and l will have girl Friday
before the week is out, in order Il
strengthen and improve my voca
, powers"
And so she did. Never was there q
more astonished man than was John
J Benton on the evening that he came
, chattering with Teddy into the kitchen
and stopped upon the threshold to listen
} to the irrepressible flood of female con
versation that was being poured forth
within. Indeed, so intent was Mrs
{ Benton on unburdening her long peni
! up feelings that she did not notice hel
} husband standing there till her startled
) ear caught the remark:
"Well, Teddy, this is a surprise party
/ isn't itp'
"Those, Maggie, 4" said lIrs. Benton
, s'are the other half of this family.u