The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-04-05
\ VIEWS OF
Y A WOMAN


peal to womankind. The average
woman never can see what there is in
| marbles to be so horribly fascinating
to the other sex. In the first place she
objects because the game includes
grubby paws-and in the next place
| what is it any. way? Why should it's
devotees play it at a season when mud
abounds and the danger Of contracting
rheumatism is greatest? Why is it
conducted along, fighting lines so gen.
orally, and why. must the grubby-paw-
ed players insist on selecting her par
ticular corner for their operations when
! there are three other corners in the
| vicinity? Why should boys delight in
playing marbles when there. are nice
clean books to read, and nice clean
little games such us bridge whist and
five hundred? All these queries and
many more. the average woman is
heard propounding according to her
point of view. So she tries to diminish
interest In the amusement by instilling
the precept in her own small sons that
to play for keeps is dishonest and
the said small sons early discover that
honesty may be the best policy but it
isn't popular.
But the average woman has more
causes Of complaint against marbles
than the mere grubbiness of small
paws and the mere bloOdiness of small
noses. and the mere muddiness of the
side walk. 1t is the ineXplicable seduc-
tiveness of the game for mankind at
large that causes the most gray hairs
to appear on her temples at this partic-
ular season.
A housewife with two new worry
lines complained thus yesterday:
"Of course do hate to have Johnny
and Joe come in looking as If they had
been digging u sewer and incidentally
had been kicked by mule. l don't
get Il chance to read "a new book or
magazine, as long as marbles are in
fashion, for it takes all the evening to
superlntend the soaking process neces-
sary 70 admit those children into Il
decently clean bed. But I'm used to
that. l have ather grievances against
marbles. Today we waited lunch Il
half hour because the baker. had not
sent the bread. My husband became
irritated and said things about house,
hold management that couldn't provide
for contingencies. Then l said things
about some women's husbands who
didn't consider 1t lasting disgrace to
be seen carrying home u loaf Of bread
for meal. Then we discovered a
large oblong object impaled on prong
of the iron fence. 1t was our bread
for luncheon. The bakers boy was
employed in a game of marbles on our
corner and was so absorbed that he
couldn't take time to bring the bread
round to the kitchen door. / don't
know how long 1t had been sticking on
the fence. 1t contained large jagged
wound from the prodding of the iron
prong, but the boy-he was almost a
man grown looked unabashed at my
upbraiding and said, "Them buffers
don't know n controller from sonthin'
to eat, learned EN-
The ice-man wants a pitcher of hot
water set out on the back porch, as he
says the ice Is cold and the hot water
washes 1t off better Yesterday that
water stood there until 1t, too, was
cold and no ice appeared. I've found
out where to look for the missing. l
believe IL you should tell me you lost
your pocket book. should instinctively
run to the window and look over to our
corner for 1t. Well there was the ice
man, sitting on the step and watching
a game of marbles as II it had been the
biggest kind of fire. Maybe l wasn't
cross. Along I'm a row In the gutter
We're two grocery boys, one who was
to have brought eggs two hours before.
for the cake Mary was waiting to
make; a man from the load of house.
hold goods which some woman was
probably frantic about, Il prominent
minister of the central city, and real
estate man who doubtless had a lot
OF people waiting for him in his office,
and young man from wall paper
store whose bicycle was blocking up
the sidewalk which the boys hadn't