Mexico Missouri message., 1903-08-06
WHEN MADAME WAS AWAY.
4 Woman Overhears the PIaiRt OF =
Man whose wife Was In
the Country.

Two men sat behind the vines of a Sc
clCded veranda to smoke their after
dinner cigars the other evening. As
they smoked they grew confidential
and told each other some secrets that
were burdensome to their comfort. A
woman sat within the house, near a
window that opened on the veranda. II
was q warm night and the window was
open. But the woman was supposed to
be reading, and the men forgot her ex-
istence. Snatches of the conversation
hoated in to her, and as the theme was
particularly interesting to femininity
the woman listened. 1t couldn't be
wrong, she argued, because one man
was her husband and the other was her
dearest friends husband. Their talk
amused and interested her so much she
told it to a friend, and that person re-
peated II in a newspaper Office, and 50
IL was a secret no longer, says the Buff
falo Express.
The theme of the mems conversation
is not an unusual one in Buffalo this
month. Dozens of other men could take
part in il If they chose. The dearest
friends husband was trying TO keep
house while his wife and the children
were in the country for few weeks.
"You know, Clifford, 1 can make =
cup of coffee and broil a steak as well
as the next person, but when it comes
to washing dishes, funk, that's all.
How the women keep the dishes in
shape is more than / know. Then il
beats all how untidy the bridegroom
gets. can't understand il, for l never
had any difficulty in keeping my shoes,
ties, collars and those kind of things in
their place before. l suppose forget
to put them away now, that have the
breakfast TO cook"
The woman listening laughed, for she
knew all about certain bags and boxes
which her dearest friend had in which
she slowed away her husbands soiled
linen and handkerchiefs and kept his
neckties straight. She remembered,
too, her friend telling her she had left
everything in apple pie order for Her
bert. He'll get along nicely" the lit
tie woman had said, for the fiat is in
perfect order; there isn't a soiled ar.
ticle anywhere, and I've left a supply
of cooked things and have told the
milkman and baker 10 call every morn
ing in time for breakfast"
"Itwasn't so bad until had made my
first breakfast" the voice on the veran-
da went on, that was not a success,
for after l had made the coffee and put
on the eggs sat down to read the pa.
per a minute. What's a minute when
you want to find out about the situa.
tion in China? But it was long enough
for the coffee to boil all over the range
and the eggs to get as hard as bricks,
What coffee was left tasted queer. and
hadn't time to wash the dishes. was
sure had used only one plate and a cup
and saucer. but there was enough for
half dozen persons. After tidied up
the kitchen I thought 1 would look
over the evening paper, when 1 remem.
bered l hadn't made my bed yet. !
could have sworn burglars had been in
the room, for there were more shoes
and neckties and things lying around
than I could wear in a week. Icouldn't
begin TO put them away! Marion has
one of those long, narrow boxes for my
neckties, and ! tried to straighten the
things out and put them away as
usually keep them, but it took too
long"
Again the woman on the other side
of the window laughed softly, for she
remembered her friend telling how Her.
bert always tried every pair of shoes he
owned before he could decide which
ones to wear and how his necktie box
had to be tied every morning as regu.
larly as the bed was made.
at is two weeks now since Marion
went away" the man continued, land
though l have written her that every
thing IS all right and that I enjoy
housekeeping, 1 shall be mighty glad
to see her back. Every dish in the house
was used nearly a week ago, and have
given up trying to wash more than the
plate and cup l need for breakfast.
After this I am going downtown for
breakfast and am going to send for
the washerwoman to come and clean up
the house. told Marion ii wasn't nee
essary TO have anyone come in; that I
could keep things going for a month
all right. Our fat is so small there
never seemed much to do, but either 1
am too busy at the Office or haven't
felt so we'll as usual, for this house.
keeping beats me-"
you'll be glad when it is time for
your wife to come home, Ell? ?" said the
friend, as he knocked the ashes off the
end of his cigar, and the woman who
listened made up her mind she would
write her friend that very night and
tell her how glad Herbert would be to
see her and the children.
Forces of Gravity Not Always Same.
u