Evening star., 1902-02-15
A MANS DAY AT HOME

Well" said Mrs. Tinkerlots to her spouse
the other morning when he complained of a
slight sore throat. iii you're not feeling
well. perhaps you'd better take the day of
and remain at home today"
Believe I will,' replied Ttnkerlots, and
he did
BY the time darkness fell that evening
Mrs. Tinkerlots was sorry she had spoken.
Tinkerlots, when he'd glanced at the
morning paper after breakfast and had a
smoke, looked over his collection of pipes
and concluded that they were In pretty bad
shape. He cleaned out the bunch of pipes
with wires and burned them out with alco-
hol. and by the time he had finished that
job the Tinkerlots abode was not quite as
redolent of rose leaves as 1t had been.
Then Tinkerlots decided that the parlor
furniture. Including the piano. needed rub
bing with furniture polish. He went at
that stunt with such enthusiasm that he
tipped over the bottle of furniture polish
on the new parlor carpet The polishing
job accomplished, TinkerlOts took 1t into his
head that several of the picture frames IN
the parlor and sitting room needed regiid-
ing. He reglded them all right. but when
he got through there were splotches OF
golden paint over nearly every article IN
the two rooms. and Tinkerlots himself
looked like a gilded image for sale Dy an
Italian plaster -ofparis vender.
TinkeriOtS then scrutintzed the CRATE OF
the kitchen range and thought he dls-
covered that the CRATE needed patching up
with wire He doused the coal fire with
water until the escaping gas made the
whole house smell Ike a Sulphur-reflnlng
plant. and then he fooled for an hour or
50 with the CRATE, with the result that ne
smashed it into iron splinters, and the
TEkerlots dinner was hastily cooked on
the little oil stove.
Having thus far exhibited his usefulness
around the house rinkerlots looked around
for more mans work to perform. II struck
him that the loose photographs hidden
away in d chiffonier drawer in the second
story front bed room ought to frame up
into pretty neat rack of pictures. and he
started in to construct such a rack with
wire. Then he drove several spikes INTO
the plaster to hold the rack, which was or
very flimsy construction, thus chipping
about half the plaster from that side OF the
wall. whereupon Tlnkerlots abandoned that
useful job.
BY way Of taking a little rest between
jobs Tinkerlots then concluded that he'd
overhaul the three or four huge trunks
and chests In the store attic to see "hat
they contained. He pulled everything out
of the big boxes and then tired or the oil
version. leaving about a ton Of odds and
ends to be restored in the boxes by Mrs.
TinkerlOs.
After this Tinkerlots decided that the din
While Mrs. Tinkerlots was doing some
marketing around the corner Tinkerlots
took the rug up and spread it out on the
clothesline right alongside the week
washing that the servant had only put out
about half an hour before. and then Tinker
lots dubbed the dusty rug with broom
handle with vast energy. He didn't OBJ
serve when he had finished beating the rug
that the weeks washing would have to be
done all over again. but Mrs. Tinkerlots
did when she returned, and SO did the
servant
After this Tinkerlots undertook to fix the
hot water spigot in the bath room so that
the hot water would flow more freely. The
plumbers still have possession of Tinker
lots home. and Mrs. Tinkerlots is looking
for scandalous bill from them.
This wound up Tinkerlots' day off. sHis
employer dropped In at the Tinkerlots'
abode that evening to find out what allied
him. Mrs. Tinkerlots met her husbands g
employer at the door and whispered few
words to him. with the result that the en-
ployer told Tinkerlots that he hoped he'd
come down to the Office the next day II he
could only barely crawl, there was so much
work on hand waiting for him.
The next time Tinkerlots Is invited to
take day off at home by his wife he 's
going to be in such shape that he'll have to
take to his bed and stay there until he gets
oil