The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1889-11-22
A WOMAN OF EXPEDIENFS.

aI
Mr.. Pierce gaye his brown leath
er travelling bag an interrogatory
shake as he took 1t up"
"Ceriainly, Dave"
"WelI, good-by, then! III be
back on Wednesday. | hope you
and Myrtle won't be nervous"
"Oh, no." replied Mrs. Pierce.
"We'll fasten all the doors and win
dows securely"
She was a little, wiry, energetic,
brown skinned woman, Of about
35. She had swapping black eyes,
good deal of gold filing III her
teeth, and was evidently possessed
OF the most complete self conf
dence.
"But The kitchen window won't
fasten, Miranda What is worse,
| il won't even close. pushed 1t up
this evening to throw lump OF
coal after that dog OF Bruce's that
was in our back yard, and it stuck
fast. Itugeed my best, but could
MT get 1t down. We will have a
carpenter fix it, Be sure you send
for one tomorrow. But Tonight"
"Now don't you worry, Dave"
advised Mrs. Piece, briskly. 'I'll
fix that window. You know | am
a woman of eXpedients."
"Well, good by, Mirandaw
He bobbed his sandy head and
gave her the brief, business like
kiss which expresses about as much
affection as a dig in he ribs.
"Good-b Myrtle"
"God by, pa" said Myrtle.
She was an angular child of II,
with pale, halchet face, pair Of
round, watery blue eyes, and an air
of alert tImldity.
"And now" said Mrs. Pierce,
bristlng with eApedients, 1--WE will
see to that window"
She was locking the door after
her liege lord.
"HOw, ma "
Come ard help" was the terse
and indirect reLly.
The house was a frame dwelling,
which stood IN the meager grounds
allotted TO the majority OF even
those city houses which are not
rigidly blocked"
The kitchen window looked out
on a narrow strip Of back yard,
which ran direct to the alley in the
rear.
Mrs. Pierce lit the gas, revealing
myriads oI water bugs scuttling
around the room.
'Oh, ma !"
"Well 7"
She was exerting all her strength
to rut down the perverse window.
"I'm so afraid of the bugs. Let's
go upstairs y
Its burglars, not bugs, you'll
have to be afraid of if we don't
get this window fixed" gasped
Mrs. Pierce with grim eXphasis, as
she realized her efforts to persuade
the obdurale frame were futile, as
her husbands had been.
We'll have to go down stairs and
bring up a couple of washlubs,'
she added.
Her particular ability was begin
ming TO exhibit itself.
When they had brought the tubs
upstairs and placed them before
the window they filled from the
kitchen faucet.
Between them she placed chair,
and thereon balanced frying pans,
bread pans and pie pans.
Then she produced a hammer, a
string and a couple of double
pointed tacks.
The tacks she drove in lightly at
each side OF The window casing and
ran the string through. One end OF
which she tied 10 the handle OF the
dinner bell and The other around
the neck OF a bottle Of ammonia.
Directly in front Of the sill she
placed a large mustard can, with
the nd very lightly laid on.
1t cid not contain anything so
mild as mustard, though. 1t was
filed 10 the bnm with cayenne
pepper-Natal cayenne at that.
aNow." declared Mrs. Pierce,
stepping hack to view the result OF
her labor. aif any burglar gels in
there without our heaiing him. it's
49, uafs rorI ain IN