The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-31
al specimens and his collection OF but

! terhies.
As usual, he had set things out of his
| hands Just where it was most con
venient to set them. Arriving at home
rather late in the evening, he had come
in hastily and gone to bed in the dark
having forgotten to bring up any
| matches.
Well" he exclaimed, sitting up in
bed to take rather a disconsolate view
of his surroundings. IF l chose to con.
fess it, l wouldn't mind having mother
and Susan TOTO skirmish about here
for awhile. How did | come to SET
those trays and boxes on the foot OF
the bed. Eve had the meanest kind OF
a night, those stones going rattle-te'
| bang on the floor every time / turned
over! And-oh, my! Look at my but
terhies"
In real regret he gathered up the
crushed remains of the pretty winged
creatures he had taken such pains and
such pleasure in mounting. While
doing so his attention was for the first
time drawn to the condition of the
carpet.
"W ell, it really is dirty. And no one
can say l ever liked dirt Why, it looks
as though some one had been throwing
lot of wool and feathers under my bed.
I'll give it sweep to-day. l undertook
to do my own sweeping. l suppose
folks think boys can't sweep"
Fred put all his strength into the
welding of the broom. 1t had been a
rainy week, and Susan's careful hands
had not supplemented her morning care
of the room by gathering with brush
and dust-pan of the mud which his
careless feet brought in. 1t was now
dried and ground into the carpet, to be
raised in clouds of dust by his vigorous
sweeplng.n
"Phew' Glad enough was he. hav-
ing at length finished, to get into the
open air, burdened with a few doubts
as to whether, after all, he SO very
much enjoyed the new order Of things.
Il don't really believe boys were
made to be housemaidS," he concluded.
But it's only an experiment There
won't be any trouble in getting back
to mothers dear, careful ways" con-
scious of an unexpressed yet decidedly
increasing respect for his mothers
ways.
Late in the day Fred rushed back to
his room to make ready for an evening
to be spent in company which he held
i'll high esteem. Fred's slovenliness did
not, as a general thing, extend to the
care of his person, his mother having
often had occasion to wonder at the
neat appearance with which he con-
trived to emerge from the chaos of his
room.
''Thunder!' Fred stood for a mo-
ment at his room door, finding the situa-
ton worthy of his strongest expletive
The dust from which he had fed lay
thickly upon everything. adding dis
mally to the prevailing disorder.
II forgot all about the things mother
spreads over things when she sweeps
How hate dust on books! WeH," seiz-
ing towel and hastily whisling it
about, Haven't time to do much dust
ing now. Jack Harper will cali for me
in a quarter Of an hour.
Buttons off? l forgot to take my
best suit to mother And there's lit
tie rip near the coat cuff, but l can ink
that"
Setting the ink on the bureau, he
carefully darkened the white streak.
but as he turned from study of the eff
feet, his brow took on deeper cloud.
My white tie III the backing box!''
He snatched it up. The last one
have left. And all these, tumbling
over number which were mixed in
with other things thrown on the table,
ARE covered with dust. Perhaps this
one will do; but there's 8 spot on 1t
Selling a towel, he carefully rubbed
the front of the lightest-colored tie he
could find But it was the towel which
had already done duty as buster, and
was streaked with the sooty dust which
prevails in house in which bitumin-
GUS coal is used.
As the tie soon looked rather worse
than better, Fred threw both towel
and tie from him with an angry excla-
nation. They struck something on the
bureau, which went with them to the
floor.
'sOh. that ink, And all over those
books l left there. What shall L
Mother. mother"
Mother. quickly appearing IN answer
to his load cry OF distress, could not for
bear smile at the mixture of express
sions on Fred's face. Despair. NORTH
cation and 4 cou1ical sense OF the ludi-
crous seemed striving for The mastery
20 mother" he said, after she had
done her best to arrest any further his
chief from the ink, will you take IRE
back?"
Take you back she asked, not
quite understanding what BE meant
Yes. me and ny room Ive given
M. III take all you have TO say on
the subject Of boys and tidiness Z Only
you'll wind me up and then keep
re running But frs; viii you please
20 down and tell Jack Harper can I
90 tonight"
why can't you. dear? Thought you
we're so anxious % GO
so / was; but look a. ne Buttons
OF Rips / can't md clean collar
in that nuddle. and my white ties
spoiled
IN ask Jack 10 wal; for you q few
minutes think we can manage things
yet
Most boys who have mothers can
imagine the quiekness with winch her
hands few from one thing TO another
IA making thai paSlisviAx oo1 COX a