Barbour County index., 1884-01-18
A HAPPY FAMILY.


HAPPY FAMILY.
n-was SUNDAY. Mr.. skinner was
hrud. and thought he would lic down
ON the sofa In The back parlor and rest.
People never learn by cNp ricncc. aud
he was no exception TO the common
-srule. c..
IIo lay Town, and crossed his feet
with a parade hardly iustifnblc under
the circumstances. HIS wifi came in
and saw him
"Why. lot skinner" she exclaimed.
eff | ever heard ~ the ike Living
down ON that new sofa with your boots
on. and oh, my goodness, your heal ON
Tint lucc tidy hal done ND only last
week. You are the most lncOu siirrat.
man I ever saw in my Hfr"'
MIR Skinner rot up aud his wife
smOothed out the tidy and rcarrnnpcd II.
Tho idea of any oily putting q heal
ON that tidv." said Mrs. SIX inner. who
had mo- intention of using slang. y / did
suppose YOU had more sens"
Il used to have" said Mr. Skinner.
good. d.naturrdly. "Ya-a-a.h. I could
take a nap II could find n place to
drop down. Yn-a-h.'
"lou had better read your Bible
said Mrs. skinner. She was roud.
uncomfortable woman, 50 clean and
neat and orderly that she made her
family wretchcd with her domestic
drill.
Something called Mrs. skinner or
then. and whcnsshe came back Mr..
skinner was gone. She sat down and
took book, when Y thought struck her.
and she bounded from her chair rs If
u had been n cannon ball.
Yes, " was Just as she had feared:
her husband had gonesup stairs. and
she found h IN strctched out i'm he'd. ON
top of n white cOunterpanc. his arizZlv-
gray head sunk deep into a white.
starchcd pillow-sham. with these words
embroidered in the center:
e" Sleep sweet believe -
He was not only asleep, but snoring.
with a-look of sweet content ON his
widc-Opcn mouth.
Loot S-k-i-n-n-c-r?'
He got up in manner that would
have done credit To- gmnast, aud
stood staring at the fearful hollow in
the bed and the wrinkled dent in the
pillow sham.
II declare l forgot" be- said. look.
ing yer, foolish. Alice. haven't a
place hero can lay my heM?r
Don't talk nonsense id lis wife.
sharply. 1.-The idea of sober man
going To bed with his boot. on
Would YOU rather Id get -'
I'D rather would get some common
sense. she said. III YOU mus sleep
In the daytime why there's an old
lounge down in the Kitchen; mo- one will
disturb YOU ther2. Or I suppose --un-
,grdCiously can ta,c OF the quilt.
and the shams, and let YOU have tour
nap here, though its wicked that :
what u Is, o. sleep sunday. It, ba,l
exaurplgto 80 70 the childr,u. Lot. and
YOU kRow it' rrI
''But an so.sbccpy.r answered her
husband; my huad Is heavy rs lea y.
Rnj can moi Keep uiy eyes opcn.n
"Laz'nuss' sheer laz nessr' said his
wif'. sharply.
Mr.. Skinner won't down STAIR. md
disappeared The last words hS wife
heard him say were that there was rest
for the weary but she was picking uv
tho embroidery ON the mlstfsiTl sham
with n pin. and did not hrcd him.
When she went down stairs he was not
In sight. and she husicd herself with
getting dinner. whilh on sunday tool,
the place Qf srppcr, and thought nu
more about him. 60.
She was distinguished Woman: dis
tinguished IN che town whtrt she lived.
rs being tho oloan, st hou,ckccpcr in II.
NO.girl could DO found neat enough to
live With her; MI the mottocs In her
house wcro To the effect tJat cleanliness
is akiu 20 godliness. Shc busted every
article otiurniturc i'm the house several
times cvcry day she scrubbed 50 often
that the children had Chruu' e diphthc-
ria; she scrubbed so clean that at last
she scrubbed through her k,t hen l'oor
into the cellar, aud wus nearly lost 10
thc community. 10 was "a perpetual
warfare between Les und DIRT Tie
front parlOr was never opened to the
family. and although Mr.. skinner had
furnished II he had never sat down i'm
10 moment since. Its mir was that If
n tomb. After 70 had been opened TO
company for an afternoon. tie childrcn
went round with fannels about their
throats and drank ginger tea. II was
the handsomcst p1rlor In the commu.
nifty, too. and had the family pictures
aud their marriage certificate framed
aud hung up there.
When dinner was rcady-and II was
good dinner. too. for Mrs. skinner
was n notable cOOk-she asked the chill
dren where their father was.
They dad 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 gong?r
she asked, wonderingly. for Mr.. SNin-
ner never went out on Sundays without
bis family
"He said he was going where he'd
have moro peace" said little Harry
Skinner.
well. we won't waitdinncr for him, =
said his wife. and they sat down 10 eat.
But n spell seemed To have fallen
upon them, and when the dinner was
over and clearcd away, and they were
10 the sitting-room with their books.
there was n sense of drcary loss, aud
Mrs Skinner sat with tho Bible open on
her lpp aud wondered WHY he had
gone but ard remembered that he. bad
ioYssa - aVus "; 3, !, ,.aa ~
,of-livinf tliAt saygst up N Jft uidtlle
of'these speculntl IONS TO catch a wander.
ing and behtsd iy and sindnce him 10
he annihllafodg = E-1- w. I
~ ''Stranxvf~ she said. as Il grew dark.
''rll take tho children aud go down to