Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-10-28
DOM ESTlC DISTURBANCE,

Bang, bang. In heavens name has
she gone deaf then, or has she gone to
the -
And the good man gave several blows
from Il fist as solid as Il ships mallet
on the wooden shutter of his cabin.
open, | say. Can you be sleeping
yet at this hour of the day. he cX-
claimed. pressing his ear against the
window, which organ was a little deaf
ened by age and the cutting winds of
the ocean.
But he could hear only the tic-tac of
the tail, old-fashioncd clock and the
tapping of the magpie's wing, which,
frightened by the noise, struck the fur
niture as she hoped across the room.
Soon from behind the hedge, Drowned
by the frUSts which so often lay like a
fine covering of lace over the little gar
den, he heard a sharp, broken voice
cry:
Here | am, my man, here 1 am"
A ruddyfaced woman in short skirts
and Il high white cap which closely
fitted her tanned temples, quickly ran
with bare feet across the rough peb-
bleS and, almost out of breath, stood
by him. He turned like 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 seas.'
Il did not expect you so soon, my
man, else'-
Il cannot return when l like. Have
you not noticed the ocean black and
raging like fury?" Then snatching
from the good woman's hand great
rusty key. with which she had been
trying vainly to open the door, with
one wrench of his powerful fingers he
turned the lock and entered his domi-
cile. 1t was not luxurious room, with
its cracked-tiled flooring, high chimney
projecting from the tunnel, and COW
cred with birds wings, polished horns
and other trophies of youthful days.
The large bed against the mud wall
was piled almost to the ceiling with
mattresses and the inevitable elder
down puff, which alike served to keep
out heat and cold, l suppose, since it
served the year round. Two tall cup
boards tlanked the high clock right and
left on one side of the room. and a
flight of white wooden steps led to "A
small chamber in the roof door
opened into Il sort of shed, where the
fisherman mended his nets and pre-
pared his bait. But in spite of the
poverty, the hard wooden chairs, bed
and cupboards Shone as cleanly as on
the day when the young couple shut
out the world with the latch of the
strong oallen door, thereby securing
comfort which is not always an ad
iunct of luxury.
In seeing the tirelesS hearth, the good
man McSle crossed his arms and, shak-
ing with anger, buried his purple nose
in his thick gray beard, muttering:
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 to bed with cold stomach and Sea-
whose duty it is to keep your home
ready for you likes better to run the
streets and idle it with her neighbors"
The good wife bent over the cinderS
blowing with all the strength of her
inflated cheeks, but never answered ii
word.
Il am sure you were about to start
off on another chattering tour. What a
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''
He followed her to the fire so rs to
show her by the working of the index
finger and the middle the movement
of the forked tails of certain fishes
hastily darting through the water.
Soon the kettle was singing, and the
wife set the blue-tigured plates on the
table. Still grumbling the fisherman
sat down, drew forth his pocket-knifc,
cut Il 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 fatigue
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 She recount
Ell the street and market news, the
practical jokes among the neighbors
and the various reports, scandalous or
otherwise, that she picked up in her
daily sale of fish when halting at diff
ferent stations for moments rest
from her heavy burdens.
The good man listened silently to all
this chat without movement of his
tanned features. When she had fin
ished he would say in a calm voice,
while pouring for her a 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 it 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
tor it.
But this morning she was aggravated
by his digital comparison to the per-
pctual motions of fish's tail So, in
stead 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 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 in order to set the current of
speech in its normal direction and ac-
tivity.
well, well, my woman, come. What
has been the gossip of this morningy"
Without a movement of her chair or a
turn of her head she replied:
Really? You seem as curious about
neighboring affairs as l am. Go, then,
and find out for yourself"