Daily camera., 1900-11-02
WHEN MADAME WAS AWAY.
Man Whose Wife Was In
the Country.

Il
| dinner cigars the other evening. AS
they smoked they grew confidential
and told each other some secrets that
We're burdensome to their comfort. A
| woman sat within the house. near a
window that opened on the veranGa. 1t
was a warm nigh; and the window was
| open. But the woman was supposed to
| be reading. and the men forgot her ex-
| istence. Snatches of the conversation
| foated in o her. anG as the theme was
particularly interesting to femininity
the woman listened. 1t couldn't be
wrong, she argued. because one man
was her husband and the other was her
dearest friends husband. Their talk
amused and interested her so much she
! told it to a friend. and that person re-
peated it in newspaper office. ano 30
it was secret no longer. says the Buff
faio Express.
The theme of the mems conversation
is not an unusual one in Buffalo this
month. Dozens of other men could take
part in it if they chose. The dearest
friends husband was trying to keep
house while his wife anG the children
were in the country for a few weeks.
You know. Clifford. | can make
cup of coffee and broil steak as wei.
as the next person. but when it cones
to washing dishes. | funk. that's all.
How the women keep the dishes in
shape is more than | know. Then it
beats all how untidy the bridegroom
gets. | can't understand it. for never
had any difficulty in keeping my shoes.
ties. collars and those kind of things in
their place before. ! suppose forget
to put them away now, that | have the
breakfast to cook"
The woman listening laughed, for she
knew al. about certain bags and boxes
which her dearest friend had in which
she slowed away her husband's sci!ed
linen and handkerchiefs and kept his
neckties straight. She rememb bered,
too. her friend telling her she LAD eft
everything in apple pie order for Her
bert. Hell get along nicely" the lit
tie woman had said. ''for the fiat is in
perfect orGer; there isn't soied ar
ticle anywhere. and I've left a supply
of cooked things and have told the
milkman and baker 10 call every morn
ing in time for breakfast"
1T wasn't so bad until had made my
first breakfast" the voice on the veran-
da went on, that was not a success,
for after had made the coffee and put
on the eggs sat down to read the pa
per minute. What's minute when
you want to find out about l..e situa-
ton in China? But it was long enough
for the coffee to boil all over the range
and the eggs to get as hard as bricks.
What coffee was left tasted queer. and
| hadn't time to wash the dishes. | was
sure had used only one plate and cup
and saucer. but there was enough for
half a doZen persons. After tidied up
the kitchen I thought would look
over the evening paper. when | remem-
bered I hadn't made my bed yet. |
could have sworn burglars had been in
the room, for there were more shoes
and neckties and things lying around
than | could wear in a week. couldn't
begin to put them away! Marion has
one of those long. narrow boxes for my
reckties. and | tried to straighren the
things out and put them away as l
usually keep them. but it took too
long,
Again the woman on the other side
of the window laughed softly. for she
re me m bered her friend telling how Her
bert always tried every pair of shoes he
owned before he could decide which
ones to wear and how his necktie box
lad to be tied every morning as regu-
larly as the bed was made.
1T is two weeks now since Marion
wen't away" the man continued, ~and
though | have written her that every
thing is all right and that I enjoy
housekeeping. | shall be mighty glad
to see.her back. Every dish in the house
was used nearly a week ago. and have
given up trying to wash more than the
plate and cup | need for breakfast
After this | am going downtown for
breakfast and | am going to send for
the washerwOman to come and cieaE up
the house. told Marion it wasn't nee
essary to have anyone come in: that | 4
could keep things going for month
all right. Our fat is so small. there
never seemed much to do. but either ]
am TOO busy art the office or haven't
fet so well as usual, for this house
keeping beats me-
You'll be glad when II is time for
your wife to come home, Ell % said the
friend. as he Knocked the ashes off the
end of his cigar. and the woman who
listened made up her mind she would
write her friend that very night and
tell her how glad Herbert would be to
see her and the children.
Force. Of Ora witty Not Always Sane.