The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-11-08
The Peoples Journal.
PICkENS 8. 9.
MANS LITTLE WAYS.


cation trip with the I.cavcwlfcathomc
Fishing club. | don't grudSc 1t to
you, dear, for now | shall feel rs though
| can spend little more time on my
VISIT to my mother. We shall be gone
lust six weeks, the children and |.
Adoniram Judson will stay with his
Uncle Parker in the country, and
Mary Elizabeth will be at the Ethical
Dstcntion settlement For University
Stlaininy. The three younger ones |
take with me. I've sent the rubber
plant to the florists, the Maltese TO
the cats hospital and the hired girl ~
to the universal. You've nothing left |
but the house, and it will take care of
itself for six weeks. ] guess, if you let |
il alone. But there are one or two |
things | want you TO remember. AIc
you listening, Thomas?"
eyes, Maria.' Mr.. sShunlcbotham |
is reading newspaper.
"Wcll then, don't let the water |
stand in the bAthtub. The water gets |
stale and eats the enamel and leaves Il |
crease around. I've taken the pillow
shams of the bed, Thomas, but Eve
left the lace spread on in case your
mother comes around TO see if you are
comfortable. And you may smoke all
over the house, if you like, only, for
goodness sake, don't smoke in the
bedroom. 1t makes the walls smell
so like fury just like cooking saucr.
kraut in Nat does. Where are you
going for brcaktast--tO the kOify IOtt
or the Bacon II Eggs restaurants"
"Maria, replied Mr.. Shunlcbotham
ma tone Of calm, masculine superiority,
"pm going to make my own coffee at
home in the morning, and won't
have any fuss over it, either. There's
no need Of any fuss. n man can do
everything better than a woman when
he sets his head to il. WHAT'S more,
III have coffee strong enough for once.
Women never make coffee strong
enough. I'll save money by it, too"
"Well, don't go away IN the morn
ing and leave the gas turned on in the
cooker, will you? Wei, then, good.
by, dear, hope you wont b,
lonely without us
"l'll miss you some, Of cOursc,' an.
swcrcd Shuillcbotham calmly. "But
then it will be quiet evenings and lcav,
me free from the Thousand little ito.
me,lic worries that distract the i. Nj
M.--.thc powerful mascinr miud.--oi
the family man when ne wants to
think. by the way, III write That play
evenings while you and the klddlrS
ming play, Maria.'
lc-cs; every newspaper man thinks
he can write stunning play," muir
mcrcd Maria sadly to herself.
"What say, Maria?'
Mr.. Shulllcbolham began his career
As pro tenn widOwcr.
Two days, and all vas well. Mr.
Shuncbotham on the second even
ing progressed so far with his play
rs to complete the title page lie was
80 cXhilaratcd over tins flow of genus
that he could not go To sleep till late.
Consequently he slumbcrcd an hour
past his time next morning. He walked
up as If he had been shot out of Il gun
and looked at his watch. "NTaria,
why didn't YOU he began, when ne
suddenly remembered Maria wasn't |
thOru.
He hurried into his garments, boiled |
the water for his coffee, made il SlrOn"
enough to hold up an ostrich egg and
hot enough to scald the throat of "A rub
Der doll and hurried down to finish
the woman $ page OF his newspaper.
He came toward his home after Office
hours with his nerves still on rd-c
from that coffee. The front door was
open. Somebody was in the house.
Things were tossed about in confusion.
An OVcrpOweriug smell of Gas struck
him III the nostrls. \ lady met him
AT the door. 1t was his landlady.
She lived III the next house, and she
wore steel bowed spcctaClcs and a
black gown. She eyed him with the
utmost severity.
"lt's mercy we are not III! blown
up" she said. "iIcrc YOU went of
and left the Kitchen gas burning all
day. Ihc pressure was shut down,
the flame went out, and the was pour
ed out all through the houses. We
forced the basement window and cot
nj 1t. suppose You were carcuslng
round all night last night and didn't
know what you were at.
AT the end of the second week when
Mr.. Shunlcbotham's wash came FROM,
the laundry. there was not "A handkcy-
chief III the lot, although his wife had
counted dozen white silk ones o,u
before she went a"ay. Halt OF them
were III his various coat and trousers
pockets, the other half were lviug
about the kitchen, where he had tossed |
them into odd corners after wadGinv
them up and lifting the hot coffee
pot with them. His cuffs were not |
mates, and il was too much bother
TO match them and put The sleeve links
IN. lie ceased wearing cuffs.
"Whaps the diff, anyhow" he said,
Pm married man.
lie forgot TO empty the coircc
grounds, but tumbled the fresh in ON
top of the old. The dccoc,ion wa, ~
vlllainous that it upset him nwardly.
lie could not write his play. lie call
ed three friends III one evening for q
game Of whist. They were good fell
lows and checrcd him nightly. When
he came home next evening, the an