Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-10-02
DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE.

Bang, bangi ''ln heavens name
has she gone deaf then. or has she
gone to the -P
And the good man gave several
blows from fist as solid as a ships
mallet on the wooden shutters of his
cabin.
open. / say! Can you be sleeping
yet at this hour Of the dayw he OK
claimed, pressing his ear against the
window, which organ was little
deafened by age and the cutting winds
of the ocean.
But he could hear only the tic-tac of
the tall 0ld-fashioned clock and the
tapping of the magpie's wing, which,
frightened by the noise. struck the
furniture as she hoped across the
room.
Soon from behind the hedge, brown
ed by the frosts which so often lay like
fine covering of lace over the little
garden, he heard sharp, broken
voice cry:
Here | am. my man. here l ami"
A ruddy-faced woman in short skirts
and high white cap which closely
fitted her tanned temples quickly ran
with bare feet across the rough peb-
bles, aud almost out OF breath, stood
by him. He turned like a whirl of
rude wind, angrily threw down his
cap. and Numbered out:
Heaven and earth! This is the
way. then, that you keep the house
while | am shaving on the rough seal"
Then snatching from the good woman's
hand a great rusty key. with which
she had been trying vainly to open the
door. with one wrench of his power
full fingers he turned the lock and en-
tered his domicile
N seeing the fireless hearth, the
good man Mesle crossed his arms, and
shaking with anger buried his purple
nose in his thick, gray beard, mutter-
ing:
This is fine! This is comforting!
Fire out. No means to have anything
to warm one when coming in from
cold rain and biting wind. One must
go 10 bed with n cold stomach and
sea-soaked feet All this because the
one whose duty it is to keep your
home ready for you likes better to run
the streets and idle it with her neigh
borsl"
The good wife bent over the cinders,
blowing with all the strength of her
inflated cheeks, but never answering a
word.
Il am sure you were about to start
off on another chattering tour. What
tongue you have to be sure! Ever
wagging like the tail of a fish in full
swim. You'll lose it or wear it out
some day / hope"
Soon the kettle was singing. and the
wife set the blue-fgured plates on tho
table. Still grumbllug. the fisherman
sat down, drew forth his pocket-k knife.
cut thick slice of dark bread, and
drank off, one after another, two good
mugs OF cider. This repast of the
morning after his return from the sea,
still shivering with the cold and ia
tigue of his work. was the best hour of
his home life. He prolonged it as much
as possible. spreading slowly some
crumbs of butter as thin as might be
on his slices of bread.
1t was the moment when the chat
ting of his wife amused him most
After the long Quiet of the night the
light gossiping was to his mind what
the fire was TO his body.
The good man listened silently 90
all this chat without a movement of
his tanned features. When she had
finished, no would say in a calm voice.
while pouring for her glass of cider:
Come, now. that's enough for this
morning. You'll bring on the pip
and lose your tongue, if you don't give
IL a rest.
That did not vex her. for she knew
that in spite of his silence or chatting
he really liked to listen as much as
she liked to talk. and even admired
her for it.
But this morning she was aggra-
waited by his comparison to the
perpetual motions of fish's tail. So.
instead of sitting down TO the table
with him, she sat by the fire with her
bowl Of soup on her knee. giving him
only the pleasure of a back view.
The warmth of the fire and repast
having chased away the bad humor
from the good man. he thought in
his masculine egotism. that he had
only to speak ia order to set the cur
rent OF speech in its normal direction
and activity.
well, well. my woman. come!
What has been the gossip this morn
ing" Without movement of her
chair or turn of her head she re-
piled:
"Reallyp You seem as curious about
neighborly affairs as / am. Go. then.
and find out for yourself"
Then. angrily, he replied:
Have you got the pip. or have you
tired your tongueP SayP'
III have, am going to bs quiet
in order TO be cured or rested"
THAT will need fifteen minutes or a
half-hour, he added. half mischiev-
ously and half angrily.
1T will last until you take back
what you said. or talk yourself"
Good You have said your last
word for long time, then!"
Al =