The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-07-22


efforts to rebuild the business of which
he had been so ruthlessly robbed. The
indifference with which her efforts in
this direction were received had at last
deadened the ambition in Kate's heart,
and she had begun I'd renfold herself in
the skirts Of the gloomy mantle that her
husband had wrapped about himself She
grew despondent and peevish, irritable
and carelesss, and the last year of the
married life of Carl Harland and his
wife were marked by many unpleasant
scenes in which harsh words frequently
prevailed.
1t was late in the afternoon when Carl
came home, on the day that he left his
wife with the unpleasant words quoted
above, and found Kate lying upon the
sofa, suffering from a. severe head
ache.
More worry" be thought, as he sat
down TO cold lunch alone % well, do
think after all that if she is bound towor-
ry, the best thing to do is to refrain from
showing her sympathy If she thinks
she is treating me and the children right
by acting in this manner, think shall
let her get all the satisfaction that she
can out of her headaches"
Carl passed the evening in silence. He
gave some attention TO his children, but
he was Indifferent to his wife. Kate's
head panied her so severely that she
made no especial note of her husbands
treatment of her. The next morning her
head was no better, and she was so weak
as to be unable to leave her bed.
Carl did not think that she was really
as i'll as she was, but he encouraged her
"whim," and insisted on her remaining
in bed.
Il have no work to-day" he thought,
and this will be splendid opportunity
for me to show Kate how easily the
housework can be done, if a person goes
about it calmly, and takes some interest
in it. 1t viii probably teach her les
son.
He was kind TO Kate that morning, for
he wanted his every act 10 impress her.
He dressed the children, and set about
preparing the breakfast. While he was
arranging the dishes on the table Grace,
the youngest child, crept up to the coal
hod and tipped it over upon herself. The
coal dust filed her mouth and eyes, and
soiled her clothes. Carl, glad of the op-
portunity to show his wife how calm he
could be under trying circumstances,
gathered the crying child in his arms and
talked coaxingly to her, while he bathed
her face and hands and changed her
dress. He had got the dress partly on,
when the oatmeal boiled over. Carl set
the baby down on the floor, and stepped
to the stove to remove the kettle. Mean
time Grace was frsnticaIly trying to ex-
tricate herself from the folds of the dress
her father left enveloping her head. Carl
picked her up and said "peek-a-boo p"
when her head popped from the interior
Of the dress, but the tone in which he
said it was not altogether cheerful, and
when he buttoned her dress he drew it
together with so much force that the
seam at the shoulder was widely ripped.
At this Carl's teeth bore together harder
than usual that was all.
After breakfast he prepared some toast
and tea for Kate, and accepted her praise
with triumphant smile. After the dish
es were washed and set away, he began
to sweep the carpet. He had scarcely be-
gun his work when he found his annoy
ance in the person of the baby, who in
sisted upon gathering up the dirt in her
tiny hands, and scattering it on the car
pet, which had Just been swept. After
several vain attempts to get her interested
in some other direction, he finally picked
her up, and with muttered There, stay
there, will you ?p sat the mischievous elf
in her high chair with rather more force
than was absolutely necessary. Grace was
not pleased with this arrangement, and
began kicking and screaming and rock
ing to and fro. She swayed her body so
wildly that she finally went over with
crash, and Carl, dropping the broom in
! the midst of the room, exerted himself to
quiet the screeching child. He had sue
ceeded in this when it suddenly occurred
tc him that he had not noticed Harold
since breakfast, and as the outside door
had been left open on account Of the heat
it WAS probable that he had gone out and
he might have fallen into the stream that
ran through the field near the house.
Hatless with bis sleeves rolled up, and
one of Kate's aprons fastened 10 him,
Carl rushed out in search Of his boy he
finally found him in the chicken house,
breaking the china nest eggs with q
hatehet, which he picked up near the
wood pile. Carl was disposed to give his
son thrashing but, remembering that it
was the day of all days in which he must
be calm, he'picked up the child and car
ried him into the house, where he found
Grace busily engaged in creeping through
the dirt that he had swept up, and scat
tering it broadcast over the room. At the
sight Of this, Carl's nerves quivered, and
he gave the broom a kick that sent it
flying across the room, and the handle,
coming in contact with an earthen Gus
pidore, Clipped piece out of the rim.
What was that, Carl ?" asked Kate,
from the bedroom, feebly.
"oh, nothing at all" answered Carl,
gulping down his wrath. You lie still,
and don't worry about me. I'm getting
along splendidly."
Picking up the broom he swung it over
the carpet few times, and gathering up
the dirt, he concluded that that was good
enough to suit him, and if other people
didn't like it, they could do it over
again.
twas an hour before lunch time. and
Carl sat down to 90 through the morning
paper. He mentally assured himself that
he had not found it very tiresome to do
the morning work.
He had read about half hour, when
Kate disturbed him by asking what the
children were doing. He had not thought
of the children since he began reading.
He found them in the kitchen. Some