The Winslow mail., 1900-11-29

she started to cry.
''Do you think, Mrs. SIN,
can fool me with your loud assertions
of innocence? Have 1 not your hand
writing as proof against you?"
''Where?"
Here" And he handed her the
cash book with his finger pointing on
the terribly significant outline. She
gave one look at it, then rushed for
the door. He caught her before she
reached it, however.
LET me CO." she demanded.
Where are you going?'
''To get a policeman and DOCTOR
"What for?"
ITO have you arrested and examined
as the craziest lunatic l ever heard
Of"
what do you mean, woman?" said
he, sternly, "you can't trife with me
in any such way"
''It seems to me, SIR she replied, as
she drew herself up with a dignity
new to. her nature, you are doing the
| trif1ing. Any man who pretends to
know as much as you do and to be
able to read his wife's writing, and
then not to be able to see that "e"
which makes your bugaboo of a
beers into berries is the nearest
to crazy man of anybody I ever
heard Of Beers, indeed" and she
laughed hyster-cally, sit seems to me,
Joe Smyler, you have been taking
| Hoo
stronger, and more than $40 worth of
them, too"
Mr.. Smyler was dumbfounded. He
looked once more at the book and
there, sure enough, was the sc" in it's
proper place, but so small that in
his haste he had overlooked it.
"Well, what does $40 mean, then?'
he asked, not more than half con-
vinced even yet.
II suppose put it in the wrong
space, that's all" she replied defantly,
"and if you must know, it is ten cents
for that box of red raspberries I bought
for you the other day. [ have no
doubt, Mr.. Smyler, you could remem-
ber, if you tried, that you ate your full
share of those same berries, or beers"
What a terrible mistake he had made.
What could his wife think of him after
he had made such a scene for nothing.
No wonder she was mad; he admitted
to himself she had a right to be. But
all was not yet lost; how about that
young uns, so cents?"
"What is this then?" asked Mr.. Smy-
ler, in concilia tory tone, pointing to
the the other outline that had bothered
him. "Young uns, so cents. Do you give
money to the children around at that
rate?"
"Now, Joe Smyler, that is too much.
1 have always tried to have a proper
sense of respect for my husband and
for his abilities, and / have tried not to
answer back sometimes when if it had
mt been you l would have, but it looks
as if when woman tries to do what is
right, her husband finds fault with her
anyway, so what's the use?'
"But doesn't this mean that you gave
so cents to some children?"
mo, it doesn't" she snapped. "It
means that youN alked so long and so
much about the nice picked onions
that your mother used to make that I
spent whole afternon going around
among the stores to find the right kind
of pickle, and when, after | was tired
out, 1 found them, bought so cents
worth, and 1 have them picked and
ready for your majestys use when it
may be your pleasure to condescend
to eat them. Of course, they won't be
as good as your mother used to make,
but 1 did the best I could, and maybe
they'll be eatable."
''Well, Nettie, my dear, I am sure I
had no intention of hurting your feel
ings, and l sincerely beg your pardon
for all this misunderstanding, but YOU
must admit those entries were a little
suspicious looking"
II don't admit anything of the kind.
If you had known anything you would
have looked for that 'e' before jumping
to such conclusion, and you wouldn't
put ~ sound at the beginning of
word when it ought to be in the mid
de. l guess l had better write long
hand after this, or maybe you would
get typewriter for me, so that you can
read my writing better"
"Now, my little girl, 1 know 1 have
been hasty and wrong, but know you'll
forgive me, won't you?"
"Well, l suppose I'll have to- seeing
it's you, but"
He caught her in his arms before she
could say more, and-the curtain
dropped.-The Book-Keeper.