The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-01-15

In these little household matters, y she
murmured contentedly.
1t is an education for the children,
too" she meditated as she listened
to them running up and down stairs
to bring their father first one thing
and then another and heard his voice
from above instructing them to start
all the faucets running in the bath
room and to bring him pail and
two or three sponges.
In the course of FIVE minutes her
youngest son appeared at her elbow.
"What is it, Johnnie2' she questioned.
Father wants his other pair of
glasses" he announced; "he's just
smashed his best ones"
What, those beautiful new peb-
bles!" Mrs. Hurd cried regretfully.
"How did it happena'
"Oh, he was just looking down into
the tank, and they dropped off and
struck on piece of lead pipe" John
ME answered, skipping gayly away
with the other pair of glasses. To him
! these little casualties added greatly
to the enjoyment of the occasion.
In a short space of time rap at
Mrs. Hurd's door caused her to look
up from her work. In the doorway
stood the cook, apparently much agi.
tated. "Oh, mum, she gasped breath
lessly, 'somethin's a-leakin. VIII yez
come down to the kitchenl Sure an
the Collins all wet an dlippin down
on me-"
Mrs. Hurd sprang up. 'TThey must
have let the bathtub overflow" she
exclaimed. "Come, we must all turn
to with mops, cloths and all the
sponges we can get hold Of"
II suppose you know, Theodore,
that you have flooded the house, she
called up stairs, adding, quick,
Johnny, bring me down all those
sponges this very minute"
AS Johnny came leisurely down
stairs with the necessary sponges, he
remarked gleefully: spa couldn't
clean it out much of any, after all.
He says that no one but the plumber
can get at it. At this point, having
reached his mothers side, he whis-
pered, He's broken his other glasses,
too, but he said we nesln't say any
thing to you about it..
A little later in the morning, when
the household had once more re-
sumed its usual atmosphere of tran
quillity, Mr.. Hurd entered the sitting
room, with an air of quiet determi-
nation. Il am going to adjust that
new gas burner that / bought SO long
ago, he remarked, displaying it,
oh, Theodore, don't you think
you had better leave it till the gas
man comes2 his wife demonstrated.
Nonsense" he responded II
should hope that i could screw on a
simple fixture like that Boys" he
added, lust run down cellar and
bring me up the tallest steps, and
then ask Jane if she knows where
that monkey wrench was put"
Mrs. Hurd withdrew once more to
the seclusion of her own apartments,
after timid protest regarding the
danger of allowing the gas to escape
too freely She embroidered peace
fully for few moments and was be-
ginning to congratulate herself that
all was well, when a dull thud, ac-
companied by a crash, caused her to
spring to her feet.
"Oh. what has happened9" she
called out in agonized tones. Are
you killed, Theodore2"
Mrs. Hurd rushed frantically down
stairs in time to catch sight of her
husband picking himself up from the
floor, where he had apparently been
seated amid shattered fragments of
several glass globes which had ac-
companied his sudden descent, while
the voices of the children questioned
anxiously, Have you hurt yourself,
papa?"
Before his family could ascertain
how badly he had been injured, he
rose majestically. swelling with right
eous indignation, and even refusing
W ahOW uio. lIul VI w CAetlnllC UliO
cut on his left wrist, which was
bleeding freely from too close con-
tact with one of the defunct gas
globes.
ut is shameful to keep pair of
steps like that in the cellar of any re-
spectacle house." he Numbered,
crunching the broken glass under
foot ''They are only fit for kindling
wood They should have been chop
ped up long ago, long ago! | never in
my life saw such a shiftless set of
people. Nobody takes bit of inter
est in anything about the house, but
everything isleft for me to attend to,
and II have nothing more impor-
tant to do than to spend my Time reg
ulating the contents of the attic and
the cellar. And now look at thatl"
And he pointed upward to the half
adjusted gas fixture Mrs. Hurd
turned her eyes in that direction and
allowed them to rest regretfully on
the chandelier, which was bent far
- &c, ,Nncifin,,