San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-02-26

pened that Mrs. Putnam was In no way
prepared for visitors. The grocery
man had failed on about half the orders
that day, and the cat had got at a fine
boiled tongue and eaten up half of it
and considerably disfgured the re-
mninder. Besides, twas the hired girls
afternoon out, there was n caster off
the dining-room table, and one of the
children had the whooping cough Mr..
Putnam knew all of this, but, manlike,
he went ahead and invited the minis
ter without saying n word to his faith
full helpmeet. She stood at the window
and saw them coming. Just then on
other of the children reported that the
cat, having finished the heavier courses,
was making his dessert on a cream pie
which she had set ON the window sill
to cool, Mrs. Putnam turned away,
leaving her foolish husband and the IN
fortunate minister to make the best
of their way in, and gave her attention to
the cat This intelligent beast made
his escape out of the window and re-
treated around the woodshed, apparent
ly looking for a cigar with which to
round off his repast.
Mr.. Putnam and his guest entered,
talking weakly and unsuspectingly of
the need of greater circumspection in
charity work. 1t happened that smart
shower had fallen on the way home,
and, by strange coincidence, both had
lost their umbrellas at the meeting; SO
they were pretty well drenched. "Come
right upstairs, Mr.. Stuyvesant, and I
will give you some dry clothing" said
Mr.. Putnam; and he led the way. Here
he fitted out the minister in clothes
of his own, ending with a dressing
gown, which proved an excellent fit.
Go on down, while look. for my slip
pers," said Putnam 81 guess you'll
find Mrs. P in the sitting-room,
reading or doing fancy work" The
minister started for the stairs.
Mrs. Putnam was indeed in the sit
though scarcely occupied as
her genuine spouse had thought prob
able. Rather, she stood with one hand
on the family Bible-a large and we'll
bound volume, containing the Old and
New Testaments, translated out of
the original tongues and diligently COM
pared, together with the Apocrypha
and a family record. She glanced out
into the hall and saw, apparently, the
man to whom she was linked
for life descending, comfortably ar
rayed in his dressing gown. Just then
she heard the hollow reverberations of
the child with the whooping cough,
while the other announced from the
cellar that the furnace fire had gone
out. The man in the dressing gown
put his foot on the hall floor. Mrs. Put
nam stepped noiselcssly behind him
with the family Bible carried well back
over her right shoulder. She brought
it forward with all her strength. 1t
struck with a deep, dull sound on the
side of the mans head, while she eX-
In a fierce whisper: There,
take that, you wretch, for bringing
that preacher here tonight"
The good man in the misleading dress
ing gown Teeled, caught himself and
burned. Mrs. Putnam collapsed in a
chair, her husband peered
down from above with a white and
hunted face and the boy came in and
said that the cat was on the pantry
shelf yowling, apparently hungry.
Thus we see that, if you are destined
10 failure, fail largely, nobly, grandly:
be not like dumb, driven cattle-be a
hero in the strife.-N. Y. Tribune.