The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-25


|lindling in Il jiry," he said So say
ing, lie chopped up board ard met
with no further mishap than to injure
himself with Il flying splinter. i
AS he passed through the back yard
with the i.intiling he glanced toward
the east. II wonder where Is the god
of day?" he remarked. Then he start
cd the fire in the kitchen stove and put
the kettle on. 1t was SO dark that he
was obliged to keep the gas lighted
Its funny the sun doesn't come up"
he commented as he drew his shiver-
ing form nearer the fire and watched
the tea-kcttle, which was now emit
ting steam and whispering the while
one of its soft lullabies. between the
puffs, the kettle murmured: "Wouldn't
you like to go to sleep-whoo, whoa
nice carly morning nap-puff, puff-the
sweetest sleep of all the night?-
WHO'D. While this rhythmic measure
was going on and lie had nearly yield
cd to the influence, q bell rang out the
hour. "Onc-two-three. Then there
was silence. The other bells followed
and they all struck three times We're
the bells mad? Three o'clock? Impos-
sible. Had not the alarm clock gone
OIL and had not the clock been set for
six o'clock? Then why should all the
bells strike three? We're they wrong?
Or was it possible that the alarm
clock had gone off ut two O'clock? 1t
was more reasonable to suppose that
the fault was with the alarm clock. He
had heard that they sometimes explod-
ed before their time. With many Silent
hn L., ..l
upstairs and crcpt into bed. Mean
while the kettle downstairs went right
on murmuring: "Whoo-whoo-he' 60
ing to take his morning nap-puff-
putf.' At the same time his wife wills
pcrcd: rs breakfast ready yet, love-"
NO" was the gruff response Then
she sanl, into dreams and lie followed
suit, his slumbcrs being broken by cx-
ploding alarm clocks and the flying
sp!inters of llindlinS wood. Suddenly
there was loud pounding. He started
up just as another clock had gone off
in his dreams.
What is that?" he exclaimed.
ITS the milllman, think, dear"
said his wife.
AT the same time, in confederation
OF her statement, sonorous voice
arose from below:
"Mi-llir
why doesn't he come in the middle
OF the night?" growlcd the husband as
he arose and threw blanket around
him.
My dear, you are not going down
like that? You will catch your death
of cold"
II don't care" he answered. desper-
ntcly. AS he opened the back door the
wind blew i'll upon him and the snow
covered his bare feet He looked like
IL blcached Indian chief as he stood
there wrapped in his blanket. lie
coughed in funereal manner as he
was roughly greeted by the wlntry
blasts. The milllman. who was coy
cred with snow and had icicles on his
beard, regarded him in amazemcnt.
"Mornin, p" he said
Never mind about exchanging any
civilitics my FRIEND" returned the
other with chattcring teeth Just
pour out your milk"
Cant"
"Why note"
Its frozen. But I'll leave Il cylin-
drical chunis OF ice in the jar and you
:an thaw it out" With that he clat-
:ered his pals and disappeared whist
ling blithely as though life had no
cares. The husband returned to the
kitchen with the cylindrical chunk of
frozen milk, intending to melt it near
the fire. But to his CONSERVATION he
found that the fire had gone out. The
kettle was putting away despairingly
singing very softly: "Whoo- whoo-
you've got TO build the fire again
whoo-whoo = puff-puff-" and then
after eXulting moment the steam
suddenly ceased coming from the
spout While setting and lighting the
fire once more, he soliloquized upon the
migratory propensity of servants and
told himself that the next girl they en-
ploycd would have to sign contract to
remain at least month BY this time
he was getting quite warm with in
dignation, and, although the atmos-
phere was SO chilly indoors, he would
soon have been comfortable. He knelt
on the floor before the stove and began
blowing at the fire, his temper not be-
ing improved by his Intellectual at
tempts to fan the flame into PROMISING
proportions The flame wavercd. flut
tered, looked as though il might be-
come promising conilagration, and
then-wcnt out. lie wrapped his man
tie more closely around his form and
was about TO give audible vent TO his
feelings when lie heard light voice
behind him;
You had better so to bed, love, and
allow me to make the fire"
1T was his wife, and there was sus-
picion OF laughter in her bright, blue
eyes.
So saying she knelt in turn before the
stove and soon cheerful ire was burn
l..