Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-04-13


laughing softly to herself, she turned
out the gas and got into bed, hearing
that unfortunate man in the cellar be-
low, muttering like the ghost Of Ham
let's father as he put coal on the fur
mace fire.
The meory of the following day is
even now a hideous nightmare to James
Fenton. Never had the Office where
he kept books for a peppery and I'M
reasonable coal merchant involved him
in SO many trying situations. His wife,
true to the arrangement, had presented
herself at breakfast arrayed in her
walking dress, and offered to make
suggestions about curling Mabel's hair,
tying on her pinafore and mending a
mitten brought to her just as the one
maid rang the bell for breakfast. Han
nah was in the secret, for she had al
ready been to ask his advice about the
mullins with a giggle, and Tom and
Harry had 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 at the table he was a deS-
perate man. His own toilet had been
sketchy in the extreme, and he had
literally had not 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
| 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 heart
less 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 amuse-
ment, Hannah's delight, and the chill
dren's establishment, he did his best to
take up all his wife's forsaken duties
She had not exaggerated when she said
that her house was full, and that she
had not time to think of herself A
thousand and one little tasks sprung
up on every side Housework seemed
to him a many-headed hydra, and one
being knocked off, another instantly
appeared in its place to distract and be-
wilder. Late in the afternoon, as he
sat down for a moment to rest, seeing
square quarter of an hour before it
was time to lay the table for supper, a
loud cutlery arose below stairs, and the
twins appeared, bearing poor little
Mabel between them, a damp, doleful
object, covered from head to foot with
mud. The children talked all together,
and at the top of their lungs, trying to
explain how Harry had playfully poked
his sister, and how she had lost her
balance and had fallen headforemost
into the gutter, Gin the very gutterest
place, papa" and the poor man tore his
few remaining locks as he bore his
daughter off to the bathroom for
complete change of clothes, involving
the intricacieS of buttons, strings and
pins all over again.
At $50 Mrs. Fenton returned. A day
spent principally in the open air had
proved a veritable tonic, and she was
a pleasant sight to see, with a becoming
color in her cheeks and eyes unwont-
eddy bright, as she tripped upstairs
lightly, in spite of her 40 years; burst
ing into the nursery in such a hustle
and stir of good spirits that it grated
upon the nerves of her husband, pros
trate upon the sofa after the exhaust
ing program of his housekeeping.
The fun died out of her voice, though
not from her glance, as she bent over
him, saying softly: poor, dear James!
Still in your morning dress? What
does this mean? 1 am afraid you are
getting into untidy ways
Mr.. Fenton groaned by way OF reply.
MARY" he murmured, feebly, after
a moment. ''Will you accept an hum
bled mans apology? l never dreamed
before what a never-ending round Of
work a woman's life could be. I'm a
perfect wreck-but I speak for myself
You will never hear another word Of
criticism from me if you look like a rag
bag"
Mary dropped kiss on his fevered
brow 1t was the seal of her forgive
ness. A quick look about the room
showed her it's disorder, but she kept
her amusement to herself.
81 have had busy day, too" she pur-
sued, brightly taking off her bonnet.
''First, your bills. The people who
owed them were so astonished when a
woman walked in to collect that they
handed over the money without word,
and before IL o'clock my pocketbook
was full. That was the end of my
duty Business is rather amusing,
James, 1 think, and not too exciting,
for it left me good many hours, you
see, before it was time to come homo,
| so / went to Cousin Lizzie's.'
James gave a start. Cousin Lizzie
was a butterfly of fashion, for whom
Mary's tongue was usually lash of
| ScOrn.