The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-11-01

Cons kence o bein' picked up by ole
German sailing-'utch, an took to
Frisco fore the mast I've 'ad few
years O knockin' about since then; an
now''-looling hard at Simmons-"rve
come back to see my wife"
"She-she don't like smoke in ere"
said Simmons. as it We're at random.
mo, l bet she don't" Ford answered,
taking his pipe from his mouth and
holding it low in his hand. 81 know
Amer. 'Ow d'you find 'er? Do she
make We clean the winders?"
We'll" Simmons admitted, uneasily,
Il do 'elp 'er sometimes, O course. "
"Ah! an the knives, too, bet: an
the bloomin' kittles. know Wy
he rose and bent to look behind Sim
mons heads 'elp me, b'lieve she
cuts yer air. Well, I'm darned Jes'
what she would do, too"
He inspected the blushing Simmons
/ from divers points of vantage. Then
| he lifted leg of the trousers hanging
| behind the door. I'D bet trifie," he
said, "she made these ere trucks. No
| body else nd do 'em like that. They're
wuss'n wot you've got on
The small devil began to have the
argument all its own way. If this
man took his wife back, perhaps he'd
have to wear those trousers.
All Ford pursued, ''she amt no
milder. An, my Davy, wot jore!''
Simmons began to feel that this was
no longer his business. Plainly, An
ner was the other mans wife. ana he
was bound in honor to acknowledge
the fact. The small devilp put it to him
as matter of duty
"Well." said Ford, suddenly, times
short, an this amt business | won't
be ard on you, matey l ought,
prop'ly, to stand on my rights, but see
in as you re well-meanin' young man,
so to speak, an all settled an alvin
ere quiet an matrimonial, Tll''-this
with burst of generosity-"I'u com
pound the felony an take me 'oolk.
! Come, I'll name figure, as man to man.
! fust an last. no less an no more-fve
pound does it,
| Simmons hadn't five pounds-he
hadn't even five pence-and he said
/ so. An | wouldn't think for to come
| between man an is wife" he added,
mot on no account. 1t may be rough
on me, but it's a dooty. PH 'ook it."
NO. said Ford, hastily, clutching
| Simmons by the arm, don't do that.
III make it a bit cheaper. Say three
| quid-come. that's reasonable, amt
/ it? Three quid amt much compensa-
ton for me goin' away for everywhere
the stormy winds do blow. so to say
an never as much as seem me own
wife agin for better nor wuss. Between
man an man, now, three quid, an I'll
shunt; that's fair, amt it?'
"Of course, it's fair" Simmons re-
piled. etfusively. Its more'n fair;
it's noble-downright noble. | call it.
But l amt goin' to take mean adj
vantage O your good 'artedness, Mr..
Ford. She's your wife, an | oughtn't
to "a come between you. | apologize.
You stop an ave your proper rights.
It's me as ought to shunt, an ! will. :"
And he made a step toward the door
"'Old on quoth Ford, and got be-
tween Simmons and the door-"don't
do things rash. Look wot loss it'll
be to you with no ONE to go to, an
nobody to look after We. an all that.
It'll be dreadful. Say couple-there,
we won't quarrel, jest a single quid
between man an man, an I'll stand a
pot out of the money. You can easy
raise a quid-the clock I'D pretty nigh
do it. A quid does it: an IN"
There was loud double knock at
the front door. In the East End d
double knock is always for the upstairs
dodgers.
COOS that?" asked Bob Ford, ap-
prehensively.
"rll see" said Thomas Simmons in
reply; and he made a rush for the
staircase.
Bob Ford heard him open the front
door. Then lie went to the window
and just below him, he saw the crown
of a bonnet. 1t vanished. and borne
to him from within the door there fell
upon his ear the sound of a well-re-
membered female voice.
Where We goin' now with no 'at?"
asked the voice sharply.
"Awright, Amer tbere's-there's
somebody upstairs to see you" Sim
mons answered. And, as Bob Ford
could see, a man went scuttling down
the street in the gathering dusk; and,
behold. it was Thomas Simmons!
Ford reached the landing in three
strides. His wife was still at the front
door, staring after Simmons. He flung
into the back room, threw open the
window, dropped from the wash house
roof into the back yard, scrambled
wildly over the fence, and disappeared
into the gloom. He was seen by no
living soul: and that is why Simmons
base desertion--underh his wife's very
eyes. tools still an establishment to
the neighbors. -Arthur Morrison, in
Pail Mall Budget.
Didn't Want Her LOpsided.
Down in Mississippi not so very long
ago there was a young darby who
bore the classic name of Scipio, and