The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-05-25

add1ng up as they were mentioned In
turn the twenty minutes for this, the
thirty minutes for that, and her hus-
band drew long breath at the end of
the evolution of lovely creature i'm
maculate from top to toe.
ut seems to me-" she observed de-
murely, 'as if cleanliness were getting
next to godliness nowadays. Well, it
must be delightful to go through such
q thorough process, and yet four hours
seems long time to devote to dress
ing every morning."
-Four hoursr' cried Mr.. Fenton,
taken by surprise. my dear, you
must be mistaken. Why, the half
hour for the bath is the longest item
in the lot.'
'Many mickle makes q muckle,
papa, DEAR" rejoined Mary, earnestly.
DO you think there is ever a morn
ing in the whole years round when I
could take four hours for the adorn-
ing OF my person? Where would your
breakfast be, and the children, and
the orders to the butcher and the
grocer? James what are you going to
do tomorrow she suddenly asked,
and a dimple appeared in her cheek,
which made her look quite young
again.
''To-morrowr' he repeated mechani-
cally.
eyes; at the office, you know. Any
thing especial?"
"Why, no. have a dozen bills to
collect for Mr.. Snow; that's all.
Why?'
because want to try a little ex-
pertinent. It's not at all original. In
fact, it's as old as the hills. Promise
me you will do it,
IF it's within reason stipulated
Mr.. Fenton. His wife had not chang
ed so much, after all. If she had
Outgrown her neatness the old vivac-
ity was still in her.
"Oh, yes. That is what I want you
to do. Change places with me for one
day. Let me go and collect the bills
for Mr.. Snow. I warrant you that I
will get every cent that is due him.
and you stay at home as housekeeper,
cook, nurse and general factotum.''
What perfect nonsense" groWled
the gentleman, taking up his paper
again. II should think you We're a
schoolgirl of 16. You konw that's
impossible.'
But it was not impossible, and Mis-.
Fenton proved it, if not to her spouses
satisfaction, at least to his conviction.
She had resource to all her forsaken
arts of coaxing and Wheedling, and,
at last, quite worn out with arguing
and shuff1ing, he had to give in and
agreed to make a fool Of himself on
the morrow. The victor went up to
bed triumphant, pausing in the nur-
scry to leave the big mending basket
and. to lean loveingly for a moment
over the bed where her twin boys lay
sleeping-sturdy lads of 9. In the
next room she drew aside little Ma
bells tumbl.d curls, and left a kiss on
her rosy cheek, and at length, with a
deep sigh, she found herself standing
before her dressing table taking down
the coils Of her hair. Many silver
thread had stolen into the bright
brown ripples, but they felt to her
waist as abundant as ever, and against
the girlish background her face SEEM
cd to lose some Of it's lines of care
Was it true that she had been growing
careless of her own appearance? Like
q flash there ran across her mind
those words about Mrs. Van Dusen
and, staring earnestly at the glass,
she felt a thrill of simple pride in it's
assurance that, with such clothes as
adorned that lady, they would be more
on a par in good looks than a casual
observer would imagine. Then she
thought Of her husband and the ex-
pertinent that was to be tried and
laughing softly to herself, she turned
out the gas and got into bed, hear
ing that unfortunate man in the cellar
below muttering like the ghost of
Hamlet's father as he put coal on the
furnace fire.
The memory of the following day is
even now a hideous nightmare to
James Fenton. Never had the office
where he kept books for a peppcry
and unreasonable coal merchant in
volyed him in so many trying situa-
tlons. His wife, true to the arrange
ment, had presented herself at break
fast arrayed in her walking dress, and
offered to make suggestions about curl
ing AIabel's hair, trying on her pima
fore and mending a mitten brought
to her just as the one maid rang the
bell for breakfast. Hannah was in
the secret for she had already been
to ask his advice about the mullins
Will dl1u IOul LARRY I1tu
been told by mamma that their father
would lay out their clean clothes and
give them any help they needed in the
toilet line. By the time he sat down to
the table he was a desperate man.
Hs own toilet had been sketchy in
the extreme and he had literally not
had a minute to think. Mary in the
gayest of spirits took his bundle of
bills and went off, reminding him not
to forget to sort the washing just
brought upstairs, and that this was
the day for sweeping the parlor. And
l hope" said she cruelty at parting,
''that you will find time to give at
least fifty strokes of the brush to your
back hair. James, dear"
The pen refuses to record what
James replied under his breath to
this heartless taunt-curses not loud,
but deep-for when a man has said
farewell to his back hair it is hard
to be reminded Of it. The day wore
on. He hardly knew why he did not
fling off the yoke and go downtown as
usual, but some logged perversity in
his nature kept him at his post and,
to his own grim amusement, Hannah's