The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-01-09
How a Hair.Pin Made Trouble for Mr.
Jones,


"Jeptha, what is thisp" asked Mrs.
Jones, suddenly confronting that gem
tleman as he satreading.
"Thatis ahair-pin," answered Jones,
quietly, apparently absorbed in his
book.
"Is it, indeed?" retorted Mrs. Jones,
''and not one of mine, either! A twist
ed hair-pin! May Task what has become
OF the rest of the womanp'
"Maria," exclaimed Jones, looking
up with the fearlessness of conscious
guilt, "why these unnecessary and
disagTeeable questionse What is that
hair-pin to meP"
"That is just what | would like to
know-what | am trying to find out, !"
said his wife, turning white around the
mouth, and leaning family against the
mantel.
"Where did you find itp" asked
Jones, looking at it as if it were a Cat
ling gun directed toward him.
II f-f-found it in your overcoat
pocket" sobbed Mrs. Jones, "that's
where!'
"Then you put it therer suggested
Jones, carrying the war into the en-
emy's camp. 81 don't use hair-pins!
What do you suppose want of the
thing?" and he assumed an obstinately
virtuous look that might have deceived
even a woman. But it didn't deceive
Mrs. Jones, who suddenly changed her
tactics.
"Jeptha," she SAID, in a soft, per-
suasive, seal-skin-cloak tone, "if you
ever loved me in the s-s-sweet days that
are past -if-if-you have the least re-
gard for me now, tell me-tell me
where you got that hair-pinr'
She could not have chosen a more
forcible way of appealing to his feel
ings The wretched man twined his
fingers in his gray hair, dug his toes in
to the Amsterdam rug, and gritted his
teeth as he nerved himself to tell the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth-"s' help me Mria!''
He began, with his eyes cast down,
and in low, troubled voice, that trem-
bled with canned and condensed mis-
cry.
1T was only yesterday" he said,
feeling as if it might have been cent
ury before; 81 had been to the restau-
rant"
"Oh! oh! oh! you told me you never
ate mouthful all day." interrupted
Mrs. Jones.
TO collect bill owing me-" con-
tinued Jones in hollow speech, and "as
/ came out saw something glittering
on the walk. thought of what my
good m-m-mother had told me years
before:
ITO see pin and let 1t lie
You'll come to want before you die.
To see pin and pick it up,
You'll be sure to have good luck"
"Maria, had no thought of evil
when 1 stopped down to pick up the
pin, as supposed, but it was that mis-
cradle hair pin. I--I-wasn't it, An
thonyP--and picked it up-a thing any
man might do with perfect impunity." "
SIS that alp" asked Mrs. Jones,
calmly.
"That is ALL" asserted Jones, with a
truthful smile.
"Then where did this blonde hair
come fromp" inquired his wife, holding
it up for his inspection. "Did you find
this on the sidewalk?n
Then Jones realized that the way Oi
the transgressor is hard, and he owned
up, and really did tell the truth; how
that he stepped into dry-goods store
on the avenue to get pair of new kid
gloves; how pretty girl buttoned them
for him with hair-pin; how she gave
it to him because it was more conven-
lent than glove -buttoner, and that he
hoped to die if he'd know her again
from side of sole-leather-a story that
any reasonable woman would see car
ried truth on the face of it.
| Did Mrs, Jones believe it? A-heml
The neighbors complained next morn
ing of the racket, and said if Jones
was going to rehearse private theatri-
Gals again this winter they'd compel
him 10 move-see il they wouldn't
Detroit Free Press,