The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-06-15

"You must be careful not TO cut
it too short" she suggested. and |
think | laughed a little as asked
her facetiousl ~ who was doing the
job, she or |. | don't know posi-
lively that | laughed, if ! did, it
was the last laugh of the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the pretty girl oppo-
site had put down her sewing and
was evidently interested in the
shade proceedings. | did not like
the smiling expression of her face.
The smile was too broad to be be.
coming. About this time ! Loak off
my coat. NS
Thad to take the shade quite off
the roller for the second cutting, as
discovered it had already got
creased and soiled from my pre-
viOus manipulailons. 1t was fancy
work pulling out and carefully
saving every one of those precious
halfinch tacks which the printed
notice warned me were the only
ones to be used. But | did it, and
took off the casting and carefully
measured the roller at the window
again, and hacked and hewed awav
with my knife and hammer and
replaced the casting, then counted
out my eleven little tacks, and,
kneeling on the floor, tackled the
shade once more TO the roller. Then
| held it up to the window only to
discover that | had nailed it wrong
side out, which made it run The
wrong way.
"Blank the thinp!" 1 said, and
my wife uttered a reproving 'Oh,
John -
Well, | pulled those eleven tacks
out, and then solemnly seating
myself on the stepladder | swung
the roller around, reversed the
shade, and painfully tackled them
in again. Naturally, the result was
precisely the same as before. When
this fact became patent TO my mas
culine, but for the moment dulled,
intellect fired a volley profanity
which contained a blank" for each
tack. My wife must have left at
about the fifth when l had con-
cluded she and the baby had gone
quite out of hearing. | felt that it
was better so. 10 a man who is
endeayoring TO swear off little
surplus activity there is nothing
invigorating in the sight of an in
nocent baby eyes raised to his own.
You feel somhow that there isn't
impression enough being made TO
afford satisfactory relief. l tack
led that shade again, gnawing my
mustaches, as the women noveliSts
say. That was, In fact, a very mild
way to put il. l yanked the linen
off, tearing it, OF course, and lost
two of the eleven before l got
across. Then l had happy
thought. would just try that
roller alone before l replaced the
shade. / did so. 1t was still tri-
fe too long! | was so pleased that
l had not been fool enough to wait
till | had once more tackled on the
shade that 1 really did not mind
removing the casting for the third
time and hacking again through
the roller. Then 1 sat down to re-
store the linen. 1t looked now too
broad for the roller. Was itg Yes, !
il was. 1t must be cut. Rather a
trying job, too, for a novice to do |
evenly, and 1 had no rule. When
l had finished aud held 1t up to get
the effect there was sort of Ho-
garth line of beauty to it that
wasn't pretty. l don't suppose,
then, it would have occurred to me
TO use as a rule the straight stick
which weighs the hem at The bot
tom of the shade if 1t hadn't stuck
ont about an inch through the
width. 1 took 1t out,
the wavy side of it,
abbed off the stick to fit, replaced
t, and then went for those tacks
again. There were only nine left,
but if each had been a separate
md distinct imp of Satan they
could not have behaved IN a more
manner. My thumbs
)y this time bad become very warm
ind thumby aud those Iniinitesi-
nal tacks played tag and hide-and-
eek in and about my moist and
rembling digits. 1 would bear
10 Tn upon one like an ocean
steamer after a rowboat and come
lp with the internal thing sticking
point foremost TO my wrist or fore
Irm. 1t took about six attempts 10 |
ret each tack, and when l had got |
t | only hit II with the hammer
,nce out of ten times. The other
Ine blows were directed else
where. Meanwhile the lovely day
n early summer was getting hot;
was not simply perspiring at eve
y pore, / was pouring at every
Derspire, and that girl across the
way had been joined by a female
with whom she was III
.erchanging a laughing conversa-
ion and free looks in my direction.
took off my vest.
At last the ninth tack was saw
lgely punched in and with my neck
ching, my knees trembling, and
ny hands cramping, / once more
rawled up that chrome yellow /
adder and hopefully, truslfullY, |
at with suppressed volcanO-like |
about the mouth, en-
eavored to hang that shade.
The roller was now the eigth Of
q inch too short. 4