The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1902-02-11
WHEN DOMESTIC PEACE HUNG ;
y In The BALANCE. q ;


n certain households in New York
/ there are special subjects whose
discussion is under a boycott.
There is just one thing that we
never talk about at our house, said
the young man who smokes, ''and that
is pets. There was a time when Edith
and 1 were fond of pets. Before we
we were married, and for some three
months thereafter, we had pets of our
own. She had a parrot and had a
squirrel.
THE first time l saw Edith she was
caressing the parrot. | fell i'll love
with her at first sight, but / did not
fail in love with the parrot. On the
contrary, hated him. He was no.
bic bird, too, according to her way of
thinking, and he rejoiced in the Gu
phOniOus name of Ebenezer.
mo sooner had we been introduced
tran Edith perched Ebenezer aloft on
her forefinger for me to admire him.
I admired the forefnger, but not
EbeneZer. | knew better, however,
than to say so. and when she asked
me if his plumage was not the most
brilliant had ever seen [ unhesita-
tingly perjured myself by swearing
that it was.
L have had Ebenezer for five
years. said Edith. You cannot imag-
inc how much company he is for me,
living around, as 1 do, in boarding
houses and hotels. L love him dear
ly'
Under my breath [ murmured
something about happy Ebenezer,
and then l told her all about my
squirrel L am devoted to him.
said, hence can appreciate your af-
lection for Ebenezer. My pets name
IS Alexander the Great, but L call him
Fan for short
How interesting, said Edith, after
] had described few of the clever
tricks Ian was in the habit of per.
forming for my delectation. 4 should
like very much to see Alexander
"'And so you SHALL said l. 4 viii
bring him around to your house to
morrow, if you like
During our courtship both Ebene
ger and Alexander were much in evi
dence. Naturally, Ebenezer was most
conspicuous, for while it was hardly
practicable for me to take Alexander
along every time I called on my fan.
Gee, Ebenezer, being already on tine
ground, was generally present a
these meetings, and helped the con
versation along with the snatches O
choice songs that constituted hi,
vocabulary.
This gave me plenty of Oppor
tunity to cultivate my natural ami
mostly toward Ebenezer, and so wei
to the purpose did employ each oc
casion that by the time our wedding
came around was fairly afame witt
hatred for the little wretch. [ prac
ticed deceit all the while, however
and so sl1illfully did I dissimulate M
true feelings that Edith frequently
commented on my affection for Ebe
nezer, which she declared, was littl,
short of her own love for him.
when we go to housekeeping,
she said, we will have special littl,
coy corner fitted up for him, anC
another for Alexander, and life in ou
fiat will be too sweet for anything.
q wisely forebore to cast a premat
rimOnial shadow over this blissful ar
rangement, but after we had beer
married about three months my aver
sion for Ebenezer became simply un
endurable, and I made up my minr
that either he or had to get out.
Naturally l preferred that h
should go, and / cast about for mean
of Kidding our home of my arch enc
my. / attempted, first, to accomplish
this end by way of gentle diplomacy
but Edith stubbornly refused to con
cur in my .delicately expressed opin
ion that Ebenezer was a luxury tina
might well be dispensed with.
81 am surprised at you, Albert
she said. 4 don't know what has com
over you of late in regard to Ebene
zcr. You used TO be so fond of him
and now you've turned against him al
of a sudden and want to break hi
heart by sending him away amOni
strangers. Supposing / should sug
rest such treatment of Alexander
What would you think of that? In
sure ] have just as good cause to rails
row about him as you have abou
Ebenezer.
.Edith's words struck me wit