The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1896-05-09


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ECR0OK M0UTHED FAMILY B
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Everybody said that It was q pity
about the Stacks. Mother Slack was q
kind hearted, good soul, and Father
Slack would so out Of his way any day
for the sake Of being neighborly. II.
was the same way with Comfort Slack
I and joyful Slack, who were the only
children in the. Slack family Comfort
would have been q pretty girl II she
had only taken pains with her hair and
her finger nails. She was thirteen.
Joyf Slack, who was eleven years
old, was even more careless of his ap--s
pearance than his sister was. But, in
his quiet, idle way. he seemed always.
happy and contented 5=
s.That is the trouble with those
Slacks,'' z the neighbors said; they take
things too easy. They Cont seem to.
have e5any ambition. What a pity.
This was what the neighbors said
when the Slack family first moved into;
the neighborho After q few months
they began to say things that were not
quite so pleasant. On. the afternoon
that the sewing circle met at Mrs.
Quicksteps IS next door to the minister's
the ladies compared their experiences
with the different members of the
Slack family, and grew quite indig
nant. /, 54 3585
why, said Mrs. Quickstep ST # Mrs.
Slack has borrowed my fatirons once.
she has borrowed them fifty times. 49,
And she is forever sending Comfort
over to our house for a cupfnl of SUI
gar said the minister's wife. ssi ss
Il wouldn't mind letting her have
my best set Of silver spoons once in a
while, when she has company unex
pectedly, !" said Mrs. Scales, whose hus.
band keeps the drug store on the COR
her, ''but when she sends over for my
best damask tablecloth and napkins,
that never use except on Christmas
and Thanksgiving it is too much. L
really think some one should speak to
her quite plainly" !"
Mr.. Slack is just as bad,'' said one.
OF the other ladies' '.He is forever
sending over to borrow my husbands S
hammer, or his saw, or some nails, or
something Of that kind. Why don't
they buy these things for themselves?
They seem to be in comfortable cir
cumstances." ss
81 begin to think that the Stacks are
chronic borrowers said the minister's
wife. .They came here from small
town in the West, you know, and un-
derstand that everybody borroWs of
every body else out there
But what can we do about it e e said
Mrs. Quickstep. If we refuse to lend
them things they will think 1t is be-
cause we consider ourselves too good
to associate with them. And you know
Mrs. Slack is always asking if there is
not something we wish to borrow from
! her." ys
TT is very annoying" said all the
ladies in chorus.
Mrs. DR.. Pills listened and sewed on
in silence. .7sz. ..g s.}
''Do tell us what you think about it,
Mrs. Pills." said Mrs. Quickstep, at
length. s'Yonr husband tells us what
to do when We are sick, and now YOU
ought to be able to tell us what to do
Z fEls
At this the LADIES' Ill LAUGHED. aud
Mrs Fills answered:
81 tremble to think what will happen
TO the Stacks when they take it into
| their heads to borrow Of us. My hus-
band has heard about them and threat
ems the most terrible things. 2
All the other ladies thought that the
| quicker DR.. Pills gave the matter his
attention, the better it would be for
all concerned, and then the sewing cir
Gle broke. up for the day. iS
| 1t seems very strange that Mrs. DR..
Pills had hardly taken off her things
when Comfort Slack ran over to say
that they had company for supper, and
would be very much obliged If Mrs.
| Pills would lend them some preserves,
or something, for dessert. Is
What's thaty' thundered Dr. Pills,
taking his pipe out Of his mouth.
Please, sir" said Comfort Slack,
making her best bow to the doctor:
Fsplease, sir, my mother sent me over to
ask your 1nother-or, / mean, your
your" and here Comfort stopped,
frightened at the doctors angry looks.
Certainly roared the doctor. Wy
dear, give the child car Of those
ounce preserves you made last fall. rs
But, M dear, Z said the doctor S
wife. ssthey are very. - = .5s
Very well, hen = stormed tile doc
tor, II will go and get them myself z z
But before he went to the pantry for
j the preserves the doctor stepped into
his study and slipped a small bottle
into his pocket Els wife followed
him to the pantry, and saw him sprink
lie some thing out Of the bottle into the
/ preserves. 90. s$S
But, my dear, 4 said Mrs. III. Pills,
i on wi l. - &
Nonsensc!!' thund Tered the doctor.
It's just the Kind OF medicine those
i Slacks have needed for long tine..''
Aud she carried the can Of ounce pre-
sery es into the hall and gave it to Com
i fort, who made another bow and went
1 home as fast as she could run.
4 The Stacks didn' have company that
night, after all, but they concluded to
i eat the ounce preserves themselves,
for fear they would spoil.
Seems to me they're 81 trife tart, Z
/ said Mother. Slack, snacking her lips.
! .: That else do you expect Of ounce
II preserves ~ asked Father Slack ii Iinp