Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-01-16

poSe"-ungraciously--"I can take off
the quilt, and the shams, and let you
have your nap here, though its wicked,
that's what it is, to sleep Sunday. It's
abad example to set to the children,
and you know it."
"But / am SO sleepy" answered her
husband, "my head is as heavy as lead,
and cannot keep my eyes open"
"Laziness! sheer laziness." said his
wife sharply.
MIR. Skinner went down stairs and
disappeared. The last words his wife
heard him say were that there was rest
for the weary, but she was picking up
the embroidery on the mis-used sham
with a pin, and did not heed him.
When she went down stairs he was not
in sight and she busted herself in get
ting dinner, which on Sunday took the
place of supper, and thought no more
about him.
She was distinguished woman; dis
tinguished in the town where shelived.
as being the cleanest housekeeper 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
dlphtheria; 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 per-
petual warfare between her and dirt.
The front parlor was never opened to
the family and although Mr.. Skinner
had furnished it he had never sat down
in it moment since. Its air was that
of tomb. After it had been opened
to company for an afternoon, the chill
dren went round with nannels about
their throats and drank ginger tea. 1t
was the handsomest parlor in the COM
munity, too, and had the family pic
lures and their marriage certificate
framed and hung up there.
When dinner was ready--and it was
a good dinner, too, for Mrs. Skinner
was a notable cook-she asked the chill
dren where their father was.
They did not know.
This seemed strange; she questioned
them closely but they had not seen
which way he went when he passed
through the room.
Didn't he say where he was going g.
she asked, wonderingly, for Mr. Skin
ner never went out on Sundays with
out his family.
"He said he was going where he'd
have more peace" said little Harry
Skinner.
"Well, we won't wait dinner for
him." said his wife, and they sat down
to eat.
But spell seemed to have fallen up
on them, and when the dinner was
over and cleared away, and they were in
the sitting-room with their books, there
was a sense of dreary loss, and Mrs.
Skinner sat with the Bible open on her
lap, and wondered why he had gone
out and remembered that he had looked
queer
1t was in consonance with her hab-
its of living that she got up in the mid
die of these speculations to catch
wandering and belated fly and induce
him to be annihilated.
Strange" she said, as it grew dark
"l'll take the children and 60 down to
his mothers and see if he is there, and
if he is, I'll just give him piece of
my mind"
But he was not there, and his moth
er said Lot had looked badly the last
time she saw him, and she thought he
seemed worried; hoped it wasn't busi-
ness troubles.
No, it wasn't business troubles; Mrs
Skinner knew that, and she began to
wonder if she had cleaned her husband
out of his mind. 1t came over her with
sudden force that she had been in the
habit of driving him from pillow to
post at railroad speed and at the end of
broom or dust brush. He actually
found no rest for the sole of his foot in
his own house. 1t might have worked
upon his nervous system until he had
become suddenly insane. Horrible
thought! He might have committed
suicide.
She hurried home with the children.
All was gloom. She went to his bu-
reau to look for his razor. 1t was the
only fire arms he possessed-it was
gone!
Then Mrs. Skinner broke down and
cried, and the children cried, and it was
indeed scene Of desolation, when sud-
denly the door of that horrible parlor
opened, and an apparition--no it was
Mr.. Skinner himself before them
looking very sheepish.
81 oversight myself" he said in
meek, apologetic tone looking at the
clock.
81 should say you did," answered his
wife, "and the dinner is all eaten up.
but I'll fix you up something nice,'
and she went out taking the children
with her.
How much of it Mr.. skinner ever