The morning call., 1890-05-28
A GOOD LESSON.

circumstances, lutIG Is lllllc use lOuhluS lOI
1t elsewhere. He exclaimed, with show
of profound satisfaction:
We'll, this is pleasant, sure enough"
Harry was quite right. The little parlor
was the prettieSt and coSlest OF cosy rooms,
furnished with perfect neatneSs, in excel
lent taste. The fire snapped and cracked
away merrily in the open CRATE, the lamp
burned brightly upon the crimson-covered
work-stand, aud, prettiest and neatest OF
all, Nora, Harry's little six months wife,
sat on the opposite side of the table with
some light work in her hands.
Harry himself was not an unpleasant part
of that picture. Tall, handsome, broad Of
breast and strong Of limb, one Of the kind
of men it makes you glad to look at; nobody
would have been to blame if they did look
at him. And being of mental and moral
composition, in keeping with his good looks,
1t is no matter of wonder that pretty, brown
eyed Nora Lewis fell victim TO his charms,
and after years courtShip consented to be
led to the hymeneal altar and become Mrs.
Allison.
Harry was not perfection-far from it,
Like most OF his brother lords of creation
he had faults in abundance, as Nora soon
discovered; but that wise little woman had
quiet way Of managing her Worser half in
his tantrumS.
The habit which gave her the most
| trouble was the propensity he had for leav-
| ing things lying around loose in fashion
| not agreeable to an orderly little person
| like herself and for instituting places in
| which To beStOw some of his personal be-
| longingS to which she had decided objec-
| tions.
Indeed, at this very moment, though her
| face was calm and sweet, Nora was some
what worried and sore inwardly and
strongly inclined TO be provoked at her hus-
| band. And the cause Of her grievance was
nothing more than pretty pair OF slippers,
worked by her own busy fingers, which
now adorned his reposng feeti or rather it
was a slight phase OF masculine perYerse-
pess exhibited through pair Of slippers.
Harry had fallen into n convenient
fashion of leaving his slippers under the
parlor sofa III order to have them handy.
Nora did not admire them as an ornament
10 her neat little pdrl0r and ventured
several times 10 remove them TO their proper
place in the closet Harry had strongly
limited his dissatisfaction with this arrange
ment OF hers before. Tonight, when he
came in somewhat tired and fretted from
his work, he grumbled openly at poor Nora
and impatlently desired her TO let things
alone where lie put them.
Nora was by no means a scold, but was
spirited little body and determined to assert
her own rights. Whereupon she proceeded
to declare her platform by giving Harry to
understand that she was not going to get
the reputation of an untidy hOusekeeper
for the sake of humOring him in an unreal
sonable whim, and she would be much
r.
in tie closet, where they belonged. Harry
retorted spicily; and but for Nora's deter
mlnatIOn not to quarrel, the two might have
had a matrimonial storm. As il was, the
cloud speedily blew over; and Harry, with
mans easy fOrgetfuneSS, stretched himself
out for his evenings comfort, utterly OBJ
liVious that any cloud had ever daIkened
the cOnnubial sky. But women have
longer memories; and Nora, as she sat aud
sewed, kept these things in her heart aud
pondered them," like Mary of old. Even
after they had retired, aud her husband lay
beside her, making the night hideous with
his unearthly snOres Nora lay long awake,
keeping up most industrious thinking if
happy she might Invent some way to bring
that rebell0us Harry to her own idea of or
der and fitness, and, in short, take him on
in his matrimonial education, without in
terrupting the peace and harmony OF their
quiet home.
Woman's wit, having will, seldom fails
to find way. Before little Mrs. Allison
shut her brown eyes for the night, she had
hit upon plan to her satisfaction. and had
resolved to compass by management what
she could not attain as an act Of Justice.
The next morning, when Harry drew on
his boots to 90 downtown, he flung his
slippers, as usual under the sofa, and said
to his wife, i'll tone OF decision
''Now, Nora, child, l want you to let my
slippers alone to-day, so they'll be handy
when L come home tonight"
But, Harry, why not put them in the
closet% demonstrated Nora, making a last
effort to carry the field by open warfare.
TOO much trouble, replied Harry. "a
mans home isn't home if he can't do as
he pleases with his things"
but they don't look nice. They spoil
the looks of the room," said Nora gently.
Eyes, they do. No, they don't" said
Harry, mixing UP his answers with a mans
customary clearness. "a thing looks as
well in one place as in another"
Does lt?' asked Nora demurely. But ms
she held up her face for a good-by kiss, if
Harry had been quite as sharp as he might
have been, he would have noticed pecu
liar little smile dimpling the corners OF her
mouth, and set himself to work 20 study its
meaning.
He, however, saw nothing unusual. and
took himself off, feeling highly elated with
the, consciousness Of possessing such
meek, submissive little wife. All Master
Harry, lords of creation before your day
have found themselves under woniau's con-
troll when and where they least expected it |!
Nora employed herself with her morn
lng's duties like an industrious little house
wife, as she was. Everything else was put
in perfect order; but the unfortunate siip-
pers were left untouched in plain sight nm
der the sofa. As the clock struck IL
she went out to the kitchen to give some as
sistance in the matter OF dinner to the stout
girl who was queen Of the pots and kettles
This done, she fastened up to her own / DOM
to change her dress before dinner
But before she took off her wrapper she
opened closet, ana from peg within
reached down skeleton hoop-skirt and sur
veyed 1t moment in her hand.
Il hate to do it," she said TO herself
but know Harry too well TO quarrel with
him, and he knows what is right | see no
way for me but to adopt his own rule, "A
thing looks as well in one place as another
So here goes"
And Nara poroha1 1aGa A.
and hung her hoop-skirt on a peg of the
hat-rack in the hall, directly opposite the
front door.
Then she went back to her room and
began 10 dress. She pinned her pretty COL
lar and gave the last touch to her brown
hair, and. before going downstairs glanced
out oil the window, to see that Harry was
coming, but not alone; for he was accom-
panied by gentleman whom Nora recog-
niZed as one of his most intimate bachelor
friends-one who had been a comrade all
through the war, and whom Harry greatly
loved. he was very fastidious, too, and
Nora wanted to be the pink of order and
neatness when he came.
For the dinner she was not worried.
Though simple, she knew everything
would be nice and well prepared; but she
thought with dismay of the skeleton form
suspended in full view In the hall. Her
first impulse was TO rush to the rescue; but
their rapidly nearing footsteps warned her
tll"t III was dlIeauy 100 late Tor that, and
the next instant she had decided not to do
it in any case.
at will only make the lesson more COM
plete," she said to herself. And in order
that Harry might not have an opportunity
to remove the skirt himself she ran down
and met them at the door. The Mortified
expression of Harry's face when he saw the
sight prepared for him was almost too much
for Nora's gravity. But she retained it
with an effort and greeted her guest with
easy grace which set him at rest imlnedi-
ately.
After they were seated in the parlor and
had begun pleasant hum of conversation
in vain did Harry, by sundry glances and
restless movements, endeayor to attract
hora's attention, and give her hint to al
ter arrangements in the hall That obdu-
rate little matron remained provokingIy in
sensible to all his maneuvers. At length
just before dinner. Nora saw the skeleton
had disappeared.