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

dents of Ter design developed INTO
principles, and grew even holder and
more hideously pronounced. 1t was
vain for Simmons to hint-as hint he
did-that he shouldn't like her to over
work herself, tailoring being bad for
| the eyes: and there was a new tailor S
in the Mile End road, very cheap
where ''HO, yus.' she retorted,
| you're very considrit, dessay, sittin'
there actin Twin lie before your own
wife. Thomas Simmons. as though |
couldn't see through you like book.
A lot you care about overworkln' me
as long as your turns served THROWN
away money like dirt in the street on
lot o swindlin' tailors, an me work
in an slavin' ere to save a 'apenny; an
this is my return for it. Anyone nd
think you could pick up money in the
! 'orseroad: an | b'lieve I'd be thought
better of if | laid in bed all day. like
some would-that | do" SO that
| Thomas Simmons avoided the subject.
nor even murmured when she resolved
to cut his hair
SO his placid fortune endured for
years. Then there came a golden sum
mer evening when Mrs. Simmons be-
| took herself with basket to do some
small shopping, and Simmons was left
at home. He washed and put away
the tea things, and then he fell to
meditating on new pair of trousers,
finished that day and hanging behind
the parlcr door There they hung, in
all their decent innocence of shape in
the seat. and they were shorter of leg.
! longer of waist and wilder of pattern
than he had ever worn before. And
as he looked on them the small devil
of Original Sin awoke and clamored
in his breast. He was ashamed of it.
of course, for well he knew the graft
tude he owed his wife for those same
trousers, among other blessings. Still,
there the small devil was. and the
small devil was fertile in base sug-
gestions and could not be kept from
limiting at the new crop of workshop
gibes that would spring at Tommys
first public appearance in such things.
pitch EN- in the dust bin" said the
| small devil, at last; its ali they're fit
| for
Simmons turned away in sheer hor-
| rOr of his wrecked self and for a mo-
ment thought of washing the tea
things over again by way of discipline
/ Then he made for the back room, but
saw from the landing that the front
door was standing open, probably by
the fault of the child downstairs
Now, front door standing open was
a thing that Mrs. Simmons would not
abide; it looked low. So Simmons
went down, that she might not be
wroth with him for the thing when
she came back, and. as he shut the
door, he looked forth into the street
A man was lettering on the paw
ment and prying curiously about the
door. His face was tanned, his hands
were deep in the pockets of his un-
| braced blue trousers. and well back
on his head he wore the high-crowned
peaked cap, topped with a knob of
wool. which is affected by Jack ashore
about the docks. He lurched a step
nearer to the door, and Mrs. Ford
amt in. is she?'' he said.
Simmons stared at him for a matter
of five seconds and then said: "Eh?'
Mrs. Ford as was, then Simmons
now, amt it?''
He said this with furtive leer that
Simmons neither liked nor understood.
NO" said Simmons, she amt in
now"
'You amt her husband. are ye?"
"Yus."
The man took his pipe from his
mouth and grinned silently and long
"Blimy," he said at length, YOU look
the sort O blol<e she'd like" and with
that he grinned again. Then, seeing
that Simmons made ready to shut the
door, he pat foot on the sill and a
hand against the panel. Don't be in
a hurry, matey," he said, 81 come ere
t'ave little talk with you, man to
man-d'ye see?" And he frowned
fiercely.
Tommy Simmons felt uncomfort-
able, but the door would not shut, so
he parleyed. "Wotjer want?" he
asked. 81 dunno YOU
Then, if you'll excuse the liberty,
I'll interdooce meself in manner of
speaking" He touched his cap with
a bob of mock humility. I'm Bob
Ford he said. come back out O.
Kingdom Come, so to say Me as went
down with the Mooltan-safe dead
five year gone. come to see nv
wife"
During this speech Thomas Sim
mons jaw was dropping lower and
lower. At the end of it he poked his
fingers up through his hair. looked
down at the mat, then up at the fan
light, then out into the street, then
hard at his visitor, but he found moth
ing to say.
Come to see my wife" the man re-
peated, $50 now we can talk it over
as man to man"
Simmons slowly shut his mouth. and
led the way upstairs mechanically, his
fingers still his hair. A sense of the
state of affairs sank gradually into his
brain. and the small devil woke again.
Suppose this man was Ford? Suppose
he did claim his wife? Would it be a
knock-down blow? Would it hit him
out or not? He thought of the trou.
sers, the tea things, the mangling, the
knives, the kettles and the windows
and he thought of them in the way OF
a backslider.
On the landing Ford clutched at his