The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1899-08-25

with a knife; wondered how she man
aged it." @
Armed with backing and brush he
set about polishing the range. and sue
ceeded finely, all going well until he
stepped back to admire his work, and
stepped into the saucer of backing, up
setting it upon Polly's clean floor.
"The deuce!" he calculated, IF I'm
not having a run of luck! Would not
Polly like to see me now?"
He hurried to the case of drawers,
where he knew clean cloths were kept,
but this drawer also stuck. yet with one
tremendous pull he succeeded in open
ing it, and caught up the first thing he
found, which afterwards proved to be
one of the best towels-he had opened
the wrong drawer.
After hopping up the most OF the
stain he lighted the fire, set OF the tea
kettle and went to the pantry to forage.
"Cold corned beef, bread and butter,
and doughnuts. I'll make some'hasty
pudding, and coffee, and thatll do.
Polly needn't think for moment that
I'm going to starye."
He hunted.about for the meal and cof-
fee, which were soon forthcoming, but
as he crossed the room yellow stream
sifted in his wake.
"Rats," he exclaimed with great
truth. He put the gnawed bag up on
the table and returned to the closet,
set all the bags and packages upon the
floor and peered about for mouse hole
Sure enough, there'it was in enc COR
ner, stuffed with chewed rags and pa
per. Gust like a woman. wonder IL
there's any more of the blamed things"
When he had made satisfactory in
yestigation of the pantry, the fire had
gone out and hati to be rekindled, and
in going after more wood he became
aware of the paucity of the wccdpile.
The hasty pudding "sputteretl'' and
burnt the back of his hand; it tasted
raw, too, and the coffee somehow did
not seem much like Polly's, so he did
not enjoy his bachelor breakfast as
much as he had anticipated. After
clearing away the table he looked fixed
w at the inky stain before the stove.
He attacked it with great energy, and
succeeded in removing the last vestige
of the polish, but in drying the spot he
run a splinter under his thumb, a splin
ter which seemed loath to leave its
hiding place.
"Don't wonder Polly kicks" he
growled, as he jabbed away at the re-
fractory silver.
When he succeeded in removing the
last installment, he clasped his hands
about his knees and sat thinking hard.
After few moments he took snail
account book from his pocket, and still
sitting upon the floor he proceeded to
make numerous entries, which ran like,
this:
/. Two baskets of pansies to set out.
2. Straighten the front post.
3. Lay a new porch floor
4. Plane off this miserable one and oil it.
3. Plaster up five mouse holes.
6. Put new washer in the faucet to stop
dripping.
z. Plane of dozen or more doors and
drawers. *
8. Mend the screens. buy new wire for
two.
9. Chop some wood.
There, that1l keep me busy all day,
and if l get through in time I'll goand
ask Polly's pardon and promise to do
better"
He now went over the house, pencil
in hand, rafting doors, opening win
dows, peering in closets, ETC., jotting
down items and materials required I'M
til he had planned enough work to last
week.
In mending the screens he found that
several window cords were broken,
three lights of glass needed resetting,
several blind fasteners were missing,
two curtain fixtures were out of order,
one lock broken, another wouldn't
work, and so on, for long list. All
over the house he came across various
makeshifts of hts patient little wife,
soapy shine upon the tops of the door,
a wire patch upon the screen door,
mended by hairpin, nail in the tea
kettle cover in place of the lost knob
and numerous other feminine devices.
He worked with zeal, mending every
thing inside the house, even to oiling
the sewing machine and repairing two
old clocks that had not been running
for years.
The. cellar and woodshed were over
hauled, swept and whitewashed. The
chicken coop and back fence were also
whitewashed and goodly pile of kin
dlings split.
He weeded the garden polly never
grumbled at this, for she liked out-of-
door work. and trimmed up the shrub
berry and pear trees, and on the fourth
day an enormous bonfire gave evidence
OF his finishing touch. At five O'Clock
he changed his clothes and took the
electric to the next town, where his ia
ther-in-law resided He spied the wife
upon the porch. ''Polly, DEAR" he said.
I've got everything mended beautiful
~. You're coming back, aren't YOU ?s
Polly was silent.
why, what is the matter with your
arm?" seeing that it was tightly ban
daged and carried in sling. With an
cry eyes and measured voice she re-
piled:
That was the last stray; you re-
member asked you to fix that window
cord in the winter; one was broken,
the other gave way that night I left
you, the sash fell upon my wrist and
sprained it, and, and"- here her voice
broke and great tears rolled down her
cheek. and Tom, holding her close and
hiding his shame-stricken face some
where about the frills of her neck. said !:
~Oh, Polly. what a brute I've been: can