The Monitor-register., 1897-06-04
BOOMERS.

v"NOA Nh SAo 0o
after Mrs. Cranston bought a bicycle
and learned to ride we'll there was
disagreem emit which came very neal
breaking up a happy home. They hat
been married three years, and they hat
often said that their married life had beer
one long honeymoon.
Tom had yielded 80 readily to all o.
his wife's whims that she had uncon
sciously gained an opinion that hei
word was to him like the laws of thu
Medes and the Persians.
But this idea was all knocked to piecel
when one morning as they sat at break
fast Mrs. Cranston said:
tom, I'm going to order my dress
maker to make a suit of bloomers fol-
me to day. do so much bicycling now
that skirts are too heavy for me-"
"Whatl'' shouted Tom, dropping his
spoon in the oatmeal.
Mrs. Cranston also dropped her spoon
! and looked in surprise at her husband.
Il said," she repeated, 'that / was
going to get a bloomer suit. What
strikes you as particularly strange about
that?" u sg
"What strikes me as particularly
stranger" he repeated, with a wild looh
in his eyes. "Do you think for one in
slant that I will allow my wife to race
around town looking like q Autograph OF
a variety entertainment? Not much"
"But, Tom," said Louise in a toni
that had never failed to persuade hel
husband that she was right and he
was wrong. II dont't see why l can't
have boomers. Mrs. Kynaston and Mrs
Bentley and Mrs. jennings all wear them.
and their husbands don't object, so why
should your"
sit makes no difference why 1 should
said Tom doggedly. 81 don't intend to
have my friends on the exchange coming
to me and saying, Tom. 1 see your wife's
wearing boomers Not if 1 know it."
but, Tom," she began, OPP
sob, don't talk any more nonsense
Louise" he broke in. Il am sick of it.
You shan't wear bloomers, so that settles
it. And Mr.. Cranston, whose appetite
had been taken entirely away by his
wife's announcement, got up from the
table and started for the door.
"Good-byr" he called from the hall
and then the door slamme d, and Louise
sat at the breakfast table wondering no W
it was that she had never before known
that her husband had a will of his own.
She had told all her friends only the
day before that she would be wearing
bloomsrs within a 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 refused
to allow her to wear them, with a 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,
if properly carried out, would gain Toms
consent to the wearing of bloome-s. She
wrote a hurried note to her dressmaker
ordering q bloomer suit Of a pattern
which she had already selected and then
donned her old bicycle suit to pay a call
to Mrs. Kynaston, who had a husband
who did not object to boomers.
She told her troubles to the vivacious
Mrs. Kynaston, who was not sparing in
her sympathy for the poor friend who had
a narrow minded husband who objected
to a convenint bicycle dress.
"Why, how foolish of him!" she said.
II don't believe the poor man has ever
seen a proper bicycling costume. 1'll tel
you what we'll do. Wen all go bicycling
this afternoon and come back by your
house at just the time your husband gets
home, and lie will see what a bloomer
suit looks like"
And SO the bicycle party was arranged,
and when Thomas Cranston arrived at
home that evening he saw five women
riding in front of the houte, 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, aud he wishei that
he had not been so decided in his refusal
of his wife's request, but he made up his
mind that it would be unmanly to yield
after his remarks of the morning, and so,
with a bow TO his wife and her compan-
ions, he went indoors and began to dress
for dinner.
That night Louise again preached the
subject of boomers, but her husband
silenced her by saying:
"Now, see here, Louise, dom speak to
me about bloomers again. You may go
in for women's rights if you like. and
you may wear standing collars and mems
waistcOats, but you shall not wear trou-
sers, even if bicy yelling does justify it in
your eyes"
"Trousers!' cried Louise Indignantly.
"Who said anything about trousers? l
was talking about boomers"
81 know you were," said Mr.. Cranston,
sand please don't talk about them any
more. I'm tired of it, and 1 won't hear
it mentioned again"
The next morning when Mr.. Crauston
put on his coat to start for his office his
wife called him back and said
tom, I'll promise never to mention
boomers again, but if you ever change
your mind about them please tell me,
for I'm really very anxious to wear
them"
The smile which for twenty-four
hours had been absent from Tom Grams
toms face came again, and he kissed his
wife.
"That's a dear, good girl, LOUISE" be
said. 81 hated to refuse your request,
but really l don't like the idea of your
wearing those things. And now if there
is anything else you want me to do for
you just name it, and I'l do it,"
He went away, but returned in a mo
ment and called out :
"Oh, Louise, Pm going to a dinner at
the club tonight, and l want you to
have my dress suit handy when l come
home. Good by"
"Now, then" said Louise as she went
up stairs, 'I'll see if l can't make Nh.
Tom change his opinion about boomers.
That promise of his was the very thing /
wanted"
The hour longed for by both came at