Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-01-24
A Pair Of Boomers.

Before bicycling became a craze
with women there never had been
even so much as the shadow of u
quarrel between Mr.. and Mrs. Gran
ston. But after Mrs. Cranston
bought bicycle and learned to ride
well there was n disagreement which
came very near breaking up happy
home. They had been married three
years, and they had often said their
married life had been one long honey
moon.
Tom had yielded so readily to all
of his wife's whims that she had I'M
consciously gained an opinion that
her word was to him like the laws Of
the Modes and the Persians.
But the idea was all Knocked to
pieces when ore morning as they sat
at breakfast Mrs. Cranston said:
tom, Pm going to order my dress
maker to make suit of bloomers for
me to-day. l do so much bicycling
now that skirts are too heavy for
me-"
What" shouted Tom, dropping
his spoon in the oatmeal and spatter-
ing milk all over his neoktie, looking
at her as though she had announced
that she was going to commit sui
eide.
Mrs. Cranston also dropped her
spoon and looked in surprise at her
husband.
II said," she repeated. that /
was going to get bloomer suit.
What strikes you as particularly
strange about that?"
"What strikes me as particularly
stranger" he repeated, with wild
look in his eyes. do you think for
one instant that ! will allow my wife
to race around town looking like a
Autograph of variety entertain
ment? Not much"
But, 1om." said Louise, in tone
that had never failed to persuade her
husband that she was right and that
he was wrong, II don't see why l
can't lave bloomers. Mrs. Kynas-
ton and Mrs. Bentley and Mrs, Jenk-
ms all wear them and their husbands
don't object, so why should your"
ut makes no difference why /
should" said Tom, doggedly. 81
don't intend to have my friends on
the exchange coming to me and say
ing: Tom, / see your wife s wear
ing bloomers. Not if know it ("
But, Tom she began, L"
"Oh, don't talk any more non
sense, Louise" he broke in. II am
sick of it. You shan't wear bloom
ers, so that settles it," and Mr..
Cranston, whose appetite had been
taken entirely away by his wife's an
nouncement, got up from the table
and started for the door
"Good-by," he called from the
hall, and then the door slammed, and
Louise sat at the breakfast table
wondering how it was that she had
never before known that her husband
had will OF his own.
She had told all of her friends,
only the day before, that she would
be wearing bloomers within week,
and when they had suggested that
her husband might object she had
said:
What! Tom object? Why, he
never objects to anything"
And now Tom had absolutely re-
fused to allow her to wear them, with
facial expression which showed
that he would not stop short of the
divorce courts to prevent it.
Finally she arose from the table
and went to her room.
She had an idea which she thought,
il properly carried out, would gain
Toms consent to the wearing of
bloomers. She wrote u hurried note
to her dressmaker ordering bloom
err suit OF pattern which she had
already selected, and then donned
her old bicycle suit to pay call on
Mrs. Kynaston, who had husband
who did not object to boomers
She told her troubles to the viva
cious Mrs. Kynaston, who was not
sparing in her sympathy for the poor
friend who had narrow-minded hus-
band who objected to convenient
bicycle dress.
why, how foolish of him." she
said. II don't believe the poor man
has ever seen proper bicycling cos
tune. I'll tell you what we'll do.
Well all 60 bicycling this afternoon,
and como back by your house at just
the time your husband gets home,
and he will see what a bloomer suit
looks like"
And so the bicycle party was ar
ranged, and when Thomas Cranston
arrived at his house that evening he
saw five women riding in front Of the
house and four of them were in full
bloomer costume. The fifth, who
wore skirts, was his wife.
He was not so badly shocked as he
thought he would be, and he wished
that he had not been so decided in
his refusal of his wife's request, but
he made up his mind that 1t would
be unmnnly to yield after his re-
marks Of the morning, and so with
bow to his wife and her companions
he went indoors and began to dress
for dinner.
That night Louise again preached
the subject OF bloomers, but her hus-
band silenced her by saying:
Now, see here, Louise, don't
speak to me about bloomers again.