The Penn's Grove record., 1891-09-25
PEN, INK, AND PAPER.
L. ROUSE.

/ spent q month with Elmira last
summer. Elmira Is an excellent house.
keeper; her bread ID perfect, her linen
is as white rs snow, and she has a place
for everything and everything in its
place, except pen and ink. A trifiing
exception, yon may think, in an other
wise perfect mendge, but it did not
seem trifing to John n hot, sticky
July day. John is Elmira's husband,
and one OF the most patient Of men;
but let the most patient man in exist
ence leave his haying and come to the
house with q neighbor to sign q paper,
II pen and ink are missing the chances
are that something will be said that
would not look we'll in print.
John came in with . neighbor who
was to sign a receipt. He went to the
sitting room closet, where writing ma
terials are found when an occasional
letter is written(their's is not a literary
| h~ousehold); he found a bottle of ink,
mostly dried away, and q penholdeI
| minus a pen. Elmlra's hands we're in
the bread, but she ran in answer to
a jar of lsmplightsrs a pen was found
and fitted in q holder. The ink was
improved by the addition of . few drops
| of water, and as no other paper was al
hand a leaf was cut from n of the
| children's copybooks. John wrote the
receipt, stopping once to remove haii
from his pen, and as he had no blotteI
| he passed the damp paper to his neigh
| Dor, who wrote his name and blotted il
| with his square thumb, and then wiped
| the thumb on his hair. After Johr
| had made the remarks alluded to, ant
vowed that if he lived through hayine
he'd have a place under lock and key
| where he could find writing materials
without securing the neighborhood fol
them, Elmira went on with her bread,
John returned to his bayfield,, and /,
who had always lived with writing ma
terials at my elbow, made a mental
memorandum Of the incident for future
use.
Elmira's Is not the only household
where it is q work Of time to ''drum
up" the necessary things to do a bit Of
writing, and oftentimes when these are
found q table must be cleared to write
on. How much trouble and friction
would be saved if there could be o desk
in the living room filled with every
thing needful. The key should hang
over 1t, and every member of the fam.
lily should have access to it. 1t should
be supplied with paper and envelopes
Of different slzes, postal cards, stamps,
pens, ink, both red and black pencils,
eraser, muoilage. paper cutter, cards, 9
box Of rubber straps, and n Of 81"
fasteners, newspaper wrappers, and Ii
possible q scales for weighing letters.
There might also be q ball OF cord,
wrapping paper, pasteboard for doing
mp photographs, and all the parapher-
MALTA for wrapping up packages.
II such a store OF ~conveniences was
at hand how many thing that are neg
lected would be done OF once. The
acknowledgment for the little gift
would not be delayed till you are al
most ashamed to send IL; the paper you
marked to send to . friend would go at
once il you could lay your hand IN 9
stamped and glued wrapper; it would
not be such a task to mail that photo
graph or the little package il that ever.
handy desk stood in the room. vi
course it will cost something to get a
desk and stock 1t, but many OF the
things will last q long time, and it will
pay in the saving of time and temper.
-Agricatturtst.