The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-08-13
miscellaneous
A MANS STORY.
BY ROMELIA l.. CLAPP, FOR THE wO
MANS JOURNAL.

When sinners truly repent,I believe
the first thing they DO is to confess
their sins.
Well, that is what l am going to do
now.
| have often talked with my wife of
the poetry and sentiment of the home,
and have tried to impress upon her
that it should be the abode of peace
and harmony, and that she is the
priestess who must keep the sacred
fire ever burning upon its altar.
The duties which fall to her lot in
our copartnership seem to me to be so
light and easy that | have often
wondered, and indeed, have some
times felt veXed, that she should look
so weary when | came home at night.
| have always believed and have often
SAID It, that women have by far the
better part of the bargain, with so
little to do, and such opportunities
for enjoyment.
Couseq uentiy, have been rather
critical OF what have considered her
lack of system in her way of manag
ing her affairs. aud have shown my
annoyance at a spot on table-clOth,
and overdone beefsteak, a smudge OH
Il lumber, or at finding dust on the
top shelf of the buffet. But Winnie
Is a cheerful little soul, anu always
makes the best of things, even if l am
sometimes little censOrious.
But YOU are waiting to hear my eX-
perience, and what brought about my
change of heart.
First, then, must tell you that am
a clerk in u banking house, at Il sal
AIRY of 81 900 per annum, and that be-
fore Winnie and | were married We
carefully counted the cost, but, calcu-
late as we would, we could not make
out that we could live on it and go in
the set in which we had always NOV
ed, without practising the strictest
economy. But in the hey-day of our
bright hopes, we thought all things
possible, and SO we started in.
will do Winnie the Justice to say
that she has bravely done her part,
having always kept the household ex-
penses within our income, and she
has made us very comfortable, often
with very little money; but what has
irked he is that she should have
looked pale and weary, and apparent
ly full of care, when, in my opinion,
she has had so little comparatively to
do.
We hired modest flat when we
were first married, and for two years
we were able to keep an inexperienced
servant at small wages, SO that Win
ME had opportunity to learn by eX-
perience many of the ways of house
keeping and cooking. But, dear me
that was almost four years ago, and
now we have Philip; and how proud
we are OF our little three year old son.
| never could bring myself to think,
much less to acknowledge, that Philip
ever brought anything into the family
but a wealth of JOY and happiness.
1t seems almost sacrilegious to think
that he is any trouble to us; and yet,
since he came into it, he has slowly
but undoubtedly revolutioniZed our
household. Our lives, our characters,
and our belongings bear marks of the
energy of this little life which cannot
be bottled up, and OF the spirit which
is ever rebelling against the limiJa-
tions of a flat; for we still live in fiat
We have been obliged to dispense
with the maid. We now hire Il wo.
man who comes in two mornings il
a week, one morning to do the wash
ing and the other to do the cleaning,
and some cooking as well, such as a
piece of corn beef, or roast, or a pail
of chickens, which is great help tC
Winnie, and makes possible little
soups and madeslishes, which she has
learned to make SO tasty and tooth
some.
Last night Winnie had telegram
from her mother, who was to come
from Buffalo to take the steamer to
day. at twelve o clock for Europe
(she had expected to come earlier and
spend the night with us) and could
she not come down in the morning
and visit with her on board, until the
steamer sailed?' OF course she must
go, and we were up bright and early
| this morning, and by seven O'Clock we
| had had our breakfast, and Winnie
| had cleared the table, made the beds
dressed herself and Philip, and was
| off. Yet there was a weary look il
| her face when she kissed me goodby
! that irritated me. "Gooi-by, deal
boy" she said gaily. When you go
| lust draw down the shades, and SEE
| that the water and the fire are al
right, and after mothers gone, I'll bt
back and have everything us nice a!
u pin before you get home"
Before she could have got down the
three flights of stairs to the from
door I'VE have no elevatorO some
good Tor was it evil0 spirit shot {
thought into my soul. 1t is jus
seven O'clock" said |, as l stood il
the lonely and not very orderly apart
ment. What a fine chance to Civ,
Winnie an object-lesson. Ihave talk
ed good deal, now will demonstrate
/ will prove to her that she consume
too much time and nervous force il
doing her simple household duties
TO be sure, | have greater physca
strength than she has, but l Will max
all due allowance for that i'll my ap
! plicaIion. | can get away at min,
o'clock, and by taking the 9th avenu
train, | can get to the office on time
and in two hours what u transforma
ton there will be.'
| Winnie had left the breakfast dish