The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-10-14
FRIENDSHIP CEASED.

son and Mr.. and Mrs. johnson, but thes
names will DO tor the purpose OF thl
strictly veracous narrative.
They had met in boarding house. Th
two women were quick to find commo
ground in knocking the boarding house an
the landlady thereof. Ditto the two men.
So the housekeeping stunt, alongside eac
other, was arranged
They were all very enthusiastic about ii
The women, who started in to call eac
other by their first names almost from tn
beginning. made up lists Of the things they
need. The men made calculations as t
how they were going to pay the initial in
stallmcnt> on the furniture -
And so the two young married couples
the .Iacksons and the Johnsons, moved into
their cute little so .jO-prr month houses sid,
by side.
1t was great for couple of weeks.
Mrs jackson and Mrs, Johnsonl leaned
over the back fence and told each Other
OF the funny breaks they had made in then
cooking attempts Each inspected the 9th
er's plant as finally arranged, and declared
it to be JUS, too lovely for anything on this
earth or any other earth They called each
other "Florrie" and "GeI'tie' from their
respective windows when they wanted to
ask cacn other abou, something. They bor-
rowed four bits from each other 10 pay the
iceman and the bread man and the milk
man when these insistent persons came
around between pay days-thei!' husbands
pay days. After dinncr--they d help each
other washing and wiplng the d!,hes-they d
appear in the back yard of one or the ot ner,
in their lice fresh house jackets, with their
arms around each Others waists, and talk
about how queer it seemed that they ap.
peaied to have known each other always.
Oh, yes; they were so thick.
jackson and johnson, likewise, got along
bully together. They weren't quite as hasty
to pick up each others first names as the
women, bnt it wasn't long after the be.
ginning of the housekeeping scheme before
they were addressing each other as Bill
and Jim.
jackson strung up his Old guitar and
Johnson got new head for his banjo, and
they punkety.pmnked together for hours
in each others abudcs every evening. II
they happened to meet down town they d
shoot one or two IN together and come
home real Jolly. Their wives said they
never saw two men pull together SO beauti-
fully. jackson told johnson OF scheme
he had to cop out a swift promotion at his
Office, and johnson told jackson Of what a
pinhead the chief Of his division was. The
four took turn, in entertaining each other
to beer and Welsh rabbits, and they de-
clared these cute Inexpensive little ses-
sions to be just ideal.
t'h-huh, it was all perfectly grand for
about IA fortnight, sure enough
Then, one evening, when jackson and
lohrson got home. they found tdeir wives
a bit constrained johnson $ wife explained
it by saving that sIe certainly Thought
Fi3r:i2 jackson ought to leave her enough
milk to do her cooking with. and that she
didn't see why TIE .)arksons weren't able
to buy Their own coffee, instead of bor-
rowing it all the time. Jackson S wife ex-
planned it by saying tlnt she was more than
hall afraid that she had been deceived in
Gertie johnson. Far be il from her to do
Anybody an injustice she went on, but she
was really afraid that Gerte johnson was
stngy and had ii deceittul nature. Hadn't
She, florre jackson, loaned Cert ie johnson
As cents only last week to pay for her h,iS-
bands laundry, when it was delivered at
the door? Way, chen, should Gertie
')ohnson at snoopy aud put ont when she
had asked her for just little mite Of milk
and coffee, Eer own milk and coffee having
not yet arrived?
"Fergit it, said johnson to his wife.
''Fergt it, said Jackson TO his wife.
jackson and johnson plnk. .punked as
usual on their banjo and guitar that even
ng, but somehow they weren't quite as
free with each other as they had been, and !
the women didn't come together at all that |
evening, both Of them having announced |
that they had some "A letters apiece to write. |
And thus it went on.
'nronsciously. johnson found himself |
thinking that the Jacksons didn't really
mount TO ii whole lot. and lie told his wife |
hat in his opinion she'd be jay if she
Mrs. Jackson to come it over
Ter in any manner whatsoever.
Likewise, jackson began to reach the con-
,luSlon taat he'd been more or less taken
n with those johnson folks, and he advised
us wife to give back knock for knock if
Mrs. johnson cGntihued to exhibit a dis
position to engage III that game.
One evening. when johnson got home,
lc found Mrs. johnson real angry. Mrs
Johnson said that one Of the neighbors had
old her that Mrs. Jackson was going around
aging that Mrs. johnson spent most of
Ter time gndding around, and that she only
ot home every afternoon a few minutes be-
ore tour-jrst in time to turn Il handspring
nd throw together a little food for Mr.
Johnson dinner.
On the same evening, ulGn JarES0n's ar
ivai home. he found his wife dissolved in
ears. Pressed for an explanations Mrs.
ackson told jackson that she had never
ecn so abused in hcr lie as she had been
hat day by that johnson woman, who
ad accused her Me Just think o,
~ about her TO the re!Bnho;S. whereas
y" only thing hat size had said 10 a
ng!c. solitary neg lbor was that Mrs.
oAnson neglected her husband outrageous.
!. and /, WIS true boo hoo and she would
lick TO the truth Of her statement right
own to her last gasp. 50 She wo..id,
JoAnson was sore and announe ed that
ed never had any use for those Jackson
rash, and hiatt for two cents he knock
acksonS block off,
ia kson was rcd-hot over the "abnsa"
hat had been heaped upon his wife by Mrs
,hnson. and he rolled up ms sleeve, and
Jared around feroriously. and said that
e had great mind 10 pranre rg,It over to
le ,Iohnsons and bite ,Iohnson's arm off ,
lose to the shoulder,
On the next day the Iacksons moved,
And Mrs jackson and Mrs. johnson .
new each Others business from the days
hen their dresses reached only to their {
i0e-tops.
And Jackson and Johnson were next to
lcn Others little office in,riaues.
And both outfits had TIE same or v.r- G
,all, the SANE. list Of friends. 4
And the knocking Of the .Iacksons and -,