Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-03-20

IL was late when ms wife peered out
into the gloom as he stumbled in out of
the park.
Yes / have. ana that's more
other folks hsve!' he answer gr, I'll
ID dn't Raf's 70 ks Gomez
"No, they didn't, and don't see what
70 ks want TO be writing to make folks
traipse round after them for like this nil
for nothiagl Anybody been for the
maii?"
mo, ut mans been here to buy the
old gray, aud he said he guessed, seeing
that neither you nor the horse was here.
he'd back down.
"Jiminettyl If didn't forget I'll set
the dayl There's the last chance gone to
get rid of Bob / tell you, S'liny. those
Perkinses ought to pay me for this! I'll
be out nigh three dollars before | get
through with that wheel businessl" lie
groaned. And all because they didn't
come up to their word.
Next day. after the squire had dis
tribuled the mail Jacob Perkins entered
the store.
Hello, squirrel What's the matter
with Uncle Sam this week7"
Uncle Sam2" the squire asked, some-
what agitated. Did Perkins know any>
thing about that postal?
Yes. he's powerfully behind time. /
don't know but Uncle Billy d had the
apop'exy or his horse a got choked by
an extra oat, and Government he'd
stopped tcordin'ly. / ought to have
had postal from nephew Raj last Mon
day.
Perhaps it got delayed. Lots of new
men in the service, and Darby's out in
the country. Maybe that's it
He handed out the card with an effort
at unconcerned indifference.
Il sh, uld say 'twas-and the day after
ther fair If Id got it when ought, he
wouldn't We had to got livery and ex-
press wagon to bring 'em all up, and
their trunks.
"Heyl Raf come? r the squire ex-
claimed
Bag and baggage, Tuesday, just 20
lie wrote he would"
Tuesday, You sure it was tuesday,"
The squire's surprise had got the better
of his discretion.
See for yourself. It's plain as day
light"
why isn't that an "h" in thereH" The
squire pointed to the word, as he viewed
it through his glasses.
No, sirl You amt so used to Rats
writing as we are"
Perkins laughed, knowing the squire's
curiosity. AS / was saying, if I'd
have known it in time, I'd have got you
to go after 'em-I was working SO like
beaver, and the roads are bad. You
might as well have had that $40 Raj
threw away on the livery fellers-an'
better, too. told him SO"
"S'linyi"
"Why, what's the matter, Danl?" his
wife asked in rising accents of alarm, as
he put his head in at the door few
moments after Perkins's departure,
woebegone expression ON his face. "One
of your attacks coming on?"
"S'liny, the Perkinses have come-the
whole family"
LAND sakesl' She bounced up in
dignantIy. "When?"
Tuesday. lie answered slowly and
solemnly. "Just what that postal said,
too. Here we both of us had that thing
here since Monday, and read it Thursday
every time. And if I'd been attending
TO my own business I'd "a made $40. As
'tis Pm out of pocket instead of in. ="
sits mortal sbamel" she exclaimed
alphabetically Folks ought to stop
writing cards if they can't write 'em
plain enough to BE- read straight
%Well, can tell you what's right
now. He sat down impressively on
the nearest nail keg. @If this Govern
ment expects Pm going to spend my
time making cut its postal cards to get
news, it's going to find itself much mis-
taken, that's ALL"
He went back to the Iostcffice with
his new determination and detected
air. His perquisite had lost its value,
and such open communications in Uncle
Sans mail were thereafter passed by
unnoticed. When his lessened stock of
information became matter of COM
ment, as occurred very soon, he had but
one explanation.
News, he declared, isn't to BE- de-
pended on.
But to S'Iiny he remarked, "Ifs losing
business attending to other folks affairs
without being asked.
So it is question whether his di,as-
trous speculation ever forced upon him
conviction of the truth in Jake Per-
kins's opinion, delivered to Raj with
knowing chuckle:
"TLe squire haiu't got as much of
nose for news as he had lore lac got his
come uppences reckon he's learned
tlat his 'perkisites' pay best y hen they re
taken on the "a iare. -ISarah Bierce
Scarborough, in 4 ouili's Companion.