Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-05
HER QUIET WAY WON

/ C8iieQ Co lne basement door Qy u pSISl<teut
and garrulous peddler while she was pre-
pairing dinner, with the result that the
steak which she was broiling reached the
table very slightly oyerdone. Mr.. Jobson.
of course, could not let chance like that
| get away from him.
''Um-charred to a FRAGILE" he remarked.
| gioomily, poking at the steak with the
| carving fork Looks like fried eggplant or
| piece of fricasseed elephants epidermis.
| Um."
| Mr.. Jobson dropped the carving knife and
| fork, studied the ceiling for a moment with
a scowl. and then fixed Mrs. Jobson with
| a penetrating gaze.
Mrs Jobson,' he announced with all of
the sepulchral solemnity Of mediaevai
royal herald, this establishment Is to DE
| broken up on the 1st of October coming.
| Mrs. Jobson coughed slightly and dished
1 out the SuccotaSh.
For many months past" went on Mr..
Jobson in the tone of one orally publishing
| an edict, Il have observed that you have
| lost interest in your home-the home that
| l have provided for you by toiling and
| moiling like galley slave. There was a
| time when you took pleasure, or pretended
| to take pleasure, in the proper preparation
| of your husbands meals. That time, i
| grieve to say, has now passed. There was
| a time when you professed to find delight
| in keeping this household in /. state OF
Scrupulous tidineSS. Now, am panied 10
| state, a general atmosphere of negligence
| and slouchiness pervades this entire estap-
| lishment from cellar to garnet.
Mrs. Jobson began upon her dinner Win
| apparent enjoyment.
'I have endeavored" proceeded Mr.. job
| son In a tone of noble self-enacement 10
! close my eyes to these all-too-obvious lnol-
cations on your part of your cessation OF
| interest in and attachment to your nome
| but the time has now arrived When am
| no longer able to screen from my view the
I've Ia nt rx-tth
questionably regard this humble, but at
| one time comfortable, establishment
Mr.. Jobson paused for moment to see
| whether he was going to get rise our Oh
Mrs Jobson or not She remained silent,
| devoting herself with manifest enjoyment
| to the SuccotaSh
And So" went on Mr. Jobson in the sor-
rowful tone of one about to be involuntari-
| ly exiled, cit has all come to an end This
| home, in which l had hoped to spend, In
peace and comfort, my declining years, Is
now a home in name only. Its natural
| guardian and caretaker now nourlsnes In
her bosom positive hatred for it. 1t were
| idle for me to contend with such situa-
ton"
Mrs. Jobson. neither denying nor affirm
| ing the allegation, gave herself some OF
| the mushrooms with which the steak was
garnished, and went on with her meal,
While l feel continued Mr.. Jobson.
dismally. "the utter impossibility Of bring
ing you to a realizing sense Of the unhappi-
ness which you have caused and still cause
| me in this attitude of yours toward our
home. nevertheless 1 am forced to act.
Madame, we break up housekeeping and go
to boarding about two weeks from now
namely, on October l.
Mrs Jobson broke off bit of bread and
glanced abstractedly at a calendar hang
ing upon the wall. But she said nothing.
Perhaps said Mr.. Jobson, after you
have been living the precarious existence
of a Washington boarder for period you
will arrive at feeling of what 1t was that
in mo nv
| negligence. to close up this home. 1 earn
estly trust SO, at any rate
Have you decided" inquired Mrs. job
son, amiably. where we are to board?''
NO" replied Mr.. Jobson, sadly, with a
deep sigh, Il have not as yet, but L shall
attend to that. 1 shall see that you are
put to no trouble understanding, as l thor
oughly do, how diStaSteful all eXertion is
to you. 1 shall make all the arrangements
and 1 shall find place that, L hope, will
be suitable to you, where you will have
nothing whatsoever to do the livelong day
except to sit in a rocking chair and read
flash literature ana discuss your husband
from the most unfavorable point of view
with all the rest of the married women
boarders engaged in doing exactly the
same thing"
Mrs. Jobson shipped herself off another
small piece of steak and applied herself to
it.
Mr.. Jobson. "All that 1 shall expect you to
do will be to superintend the packing.
shall send men to the house, of course, to
do the actual work, but 1 trust L may re-
ion over their labors. l would recommend
that in about a weeks time you begin the
preliminary work looking to the getting to-
gether of this households possessions In
the speediest and most effectual manner.
I desire to have you distinctly understand,
and'therefore repeat the fact. that we give
up the key to this house on September 10.
and that we leave the house behind on the
morning Of October the
Mrs. Jobson slightly inclined her head,
and Mr.. Jobson went ahead with his dinner,
carefully avoiding even touching the very
slightly overdone steak, which. notwith-
standing its being very slightly overdone,
was really delicious.
Mr.. Jobson was whistling quite merrily
while the meal was preparing he was prowl-
Ing around the neat back yard, training
some morning glories on the fence, and
otherwise busying himself enjoyably in his
shirt sleeves
Nevertheless, a week ago yesterday Mrs.
Jobson started in to be real busy after Mr..
Jobson had gone to his office. She began
the regular autumn housekeeping. The
regular autumn housekeeping in the Job
son establishment means torn-up abode
for at least three days. When Mr. Jobson
stepped jauntily into the vestibule that
evening, whistling one Of the airs of the
II 1t had been picked up by the Mississippi
at a time of flood and carried about 300
miles down stream. There was a crafty
look In Mrs. Jobson's eyes when she heard
Mr.. Jobson opening the front door,
There was a blank look on his face when
he stepped into the hall and surveyed the
heaped-up furniture, the rolled-up mating,
and the scene of general desolation
We'll. I've begun. you see," remarked
Mrs. Jobson, cheerfully. Have you found
| place yet?'
placer" stammered Mr.. Jobson.
very red. What kind OF place? What
dye mean, anyhow"
why, a boarding house." answered Mrs.
Jobson in a matter-of-fact tone. You
know we are to give this house I'D on DC
tober the first and go to boarding, and I've
begun to do the packing. 1 thought sure
you'd have boarding house picked out by
this time"
Mr.. Jobson pumped into a chair. pushed
his hat back from his hot forehead, and
stared at Mrs. Jobson
Madam" he inquired weakly and hoarse-
ly, "have you lost your reason? To NV GER
tain knowledge I haven't mentioned the
word boarding for twenty-five years This
Is scheme. conspiracy. on your part.
You are deliberately trying to wreck nv
home. Moreover. you are trying to make me
responsible for it. Boarding house, Ell? All
right, If that's your game you go ahead and
board: but any time you ever see me in a
boa riing hOuSP inst xUire