The record-union., 1898-10-09
THE SURRENDER OF JOSHUA.

window to the effect that there is ac-
/ commodation within for a respectable
single man, it usually means mischief
1t is the old, old invitation of the spider
/ to the fly How on earth could a
mere, ordinary, inexperienced, guileless,
| single man be otherwise than clay in
! the hands of Mrs Potter?
| Originally a. Whelksi she had married
in the first place a Higson, and in the
/ second the late, not unduly lamented
| Potter
| The grass on the grave of the latter
having now begun to grow quite lux
uriantly, the rehct considered that to
remain widow any longer would be
a sheer waste of time and opportunity.
Hence the card-six inches by four
with the announcement referred to.
THE rest said Mrs. Potter, Il
! leaves to Providence
And Providence, thus piously in
.voked, responded with Joshua Jeb-
bings
Mrs. Potter summed him UP in one
word. Ginger" she commented COM
placently, and 1 never knowed a
ginger man or boy with what you
could call al sperrit.''
eral outlook that she began picking
without further delay.
! They did for Higson. and they've
done for Potter, and there's no know
ing whether I've seen the end of em
| yet" she told herself, as she folded
them smoothly and laid them care
fully away in the bottom drawer
During the first few weeks Joshua
Jebbings rubbed his hands and felt he
was in clover His new landlady did
for him as he had never been done
! for before. When he came in from
work-he was a ''Wheelwright to his
trade'-there was his dinner ready to
the minute. AS soon as he opened the
| door the savory smell of onions, or the
| cheerful sound of sausages, or some
| other dainty, frizzling in the frying
pan, saluted him, while there was
nearly always a lettuce fresh pulled
| for his tea
IF you wants to manage a man."
| reasoned Mrs Potter, you can always
do it. easy as easy, through his Wit
! ties
He was an unaSsuming individual,
! was Joshua, and so was conscious at
times of a vague presentiment that
this was a condition. of affairs too good
to last. The amount Of elbow grease
| and WOrSted expended on his socks
| alone was such that he had to pause
| and admire the effect of the different
| colored darns whenever he took off his
| boots.
| 1t was Joe Whibble who first opened
| his eyes to the snare that was being
spread for him.
Reckon yen be for putting up the
bands fore long" remarked this wor-
| thy, with significant wink.
| 'Bands!" exclaimed Joshua 'I amt
| got nothink to do with no bands, I
/ amt
Unabashed by this array of mega
| tfves Joe executed another wink of
even deadlier significance, but con-
tented himself with the skeptical mono
syllable, &c Earn
This was all that passed at that time.
but Joshua went home with the omin-
Gus word bands ranking in his
! breast
He fingered on the threshold with his
hand on the latch, and shifted.
''Kippers,'' he murmured, with an ap-
|
BLOW them bandsl" he muttered.
| Shouldn't wonder but what they've
bin and took my happytite away"
He was very silent over his tea, ex-
cept when a bone went the wrong way.
His landlady kept an intermittent watch
on him out of the corner of her eye.
It's about time I give him a int, -
she thought. Times getting on, and
! Whitsuntide'd do as we'll as not"
! It was at this moment that Mr.. Jeb-
| bings, looking up, caught her eye But
for the poison instilled into his mind by
Joe Whibble, it is probable that he
would have seen nothing particular in
it. AS it was, it seemed to look bands
| at him-Which was worse than daggers.
Mr.. Jebbings choked again, partly from
emotion and partly owing to another
misdirected fish bone.
Mrs. Potter sighed a sigh of fond
reminiscence.
Il declare if you don't remind me for
all the world of Higson. Wonderful one
he We're to choke. I've knowed him go
| black in the face over a red herring.
And moren once he's brought my heart
into my mouth with a apple core. But,
for all that, he lived to die in his bed.
He was jest about your figger too, and
| [ made him a knitted wes'cut the win
| ter fore he died. Potter We're a stout
| build. and I were thinking of letting
| it out for him when he took a chill,
and. remembering how weak all the
Potters was in their chests, l reckoned
it weren't hardly worth while It's up
stairs in a drawer at this very minute,
| ch
You might jest try it on after tea
| The cold perspiration stood out on
Joshua's forehead as he huskily assured
her that it was uncommon kind of her,
but he wasn't in any pertickler need of
wes'cut jest at present.
But she persisted.
I'll go'n look it out soon's ever I've
washed up she declared. It's to be
! hoped the moth amt bin and got in it,
though, to be sure, I peppered it we'll
| when I put it away"
The moment her back was turned
Joshua slipped out and sought solace
and security at the Ham and Chicken.
| Joe was there, and to him Mr.. Jeb~
| bings-after the usual interchange of
opinions on the weather, the crops and
| the price of pigs-put a poser.
"S'posin' a wid-that is a wom-least-
ways a female makes up her mind to
marry a man and he won't have her,
what then?'
LAS a gin'ral rule" responded the
oracle, after seeking inspiration at the
| bottom of his blue and white earthen-
ware pint mug, "as q gin'ral rule she
marries him all the same. Look at me.
| Did marry S'liner. or did Sliner marry
,rcla q odds p,