The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-01-15
MABIE'S TROUBLES.

matter of suggestion. One day, for Instance,
he found her engaged on some embroidery
and at once proceeded to question her con-
corning every detail of her method of stitch
ing. Then he proposed an improvement,
and, failing to explain it to the lady to her
entire satisfaction, gave her practical dem
onstration, with the result Of running her
work of art. That was rather trying, but
there was worse to come and 1t kept coming.
They kept no servant when they were
first married. They had the tiniest box of
fiat and there would have been no place
to put girl even if they had needed one
| and had been able to afford her. Besides,
Mrs. Mabie had been given one of those old
fashioned educations that include courses
of cooking and scientific scrubbing and mar
keting, and they got along very well in
deed. But Mabe, while his admiration of
his wife's accomplishment knew no bounds,
could not help feeling that there were many
things in the domain of domestic economy
that required the application of masculine
intelligence for their successful execution.
Il don't pretend to know about these
things" he would say, ''and | know that
you do know all about them. If | thought
that you considered me officious or med
ding"
Ronald! As if [ could think such a
thing"
q know you don't. That's exactly what
| say. You understand that we are all likely
to fall into rut. | am myself in my work
and there is nothing more likely than that
you might be able to give me valuable point
ers. It's just the same about this kitchen
work From the very fact that | am ig
norant of it | am more likely sometimes to
perceive the obvious thing to do than you
are with all your training and experience.
The beauty of the thing is that when point
it out you at once understand my motive
in doing soto make it easier for you-and
you don't fly off the handle as narrow
minded woman might do. Now, as to this
dishwashing. | observe that you take every
separate dish, wash it in the soapy water,
rinse it in the clear and then wipe it with
your dishcloth. You do that because every
woman you have ever seen washing dishes
does it in exactly the same way. As the re
suits are fairly satisfactory, you don't pause
to consider that it might be done far easier
and with great saving of time"
Il believe you are getting tired of help
ing me with the dishes,' said Mrs. Mabie.
"Well, tell me how you would do it."
''I'll show you," said Mabe. "You take
batch of them, this way, and"
Take care of that cake dish"
'You dump them into Well, who'd
have thought they'd have smashed as easily
as that!
The batch had slipped from his soapy
fingers and had fallen in a crash of frag
ments into the sink. His concern over the
accident was so genuine that his wife had
not the heart to scold him, though the cake
dish was a wedding present and one of the
most valued Of their possessions. She gath
cred up the pieces carefully and poured balm
on his wounded spirit by assuring him that
the dish could be mended by an expert that
she knew of so neatly that it would be al
most as good as ever.
Let me look at it," said Mabie II guess
that's so. think could mend it myself"
"Oh, wouldn't bother, dear. I'll take it
around to the little china shop tomorrow"
He persisted in his intention and went out
that evening and bought a bottle of china
cement. After about an hours hard work
he succeeded in getting the dish pieced to-
gether and sticking the tablecloth to the
table, though he was not aware that he had
done this until his wife tried to remove the
cloth the next morning and pulled out a
leaf and upset some more china on the floor.
The fabric stuck so firmly that he was CON
WINGED that the dish must have set" al
though the directions said the mended ar
ticles should be allowed to remain in a cool,
dry place for three or four days. 1t certainly
looked as if it had set" but when he tri-
umphantly knocked it against the mantel
piece to prove it the dish fell apart on the
hearth and smashed into bits.
So it went on for years, Mabie always full
of new ideas for the tightening of house
hold toll and prodigal in his expenditure for
patent household devices of every descrip-
ton, daunted by no failure and exulting in
the faintest measure of success, and Mrs.
Mabie forbearng and sympathetic, but with
premature lines of care on her pretty face
that may have been attributable to her hus
bands idiosyncrasy.
Then the Mabies grew prosperous-thatis is,
| they enjoyed fair measure of prosperity
and Mrs. Mabie no longer wore kitchen
apron and cooked little dinners. There were
servants to attend to all that In the first
! days of the change Mabie hardly seemed
to feel as if the joys OF life had departed
| from him, but realization of the fact came
| upon him by degrees. He strayed down into
his kitchen now and then in an aimless Sort
of way, but somehow he felt that he was
not welcome and that his tentative efforts
| to make life brighter for the help were not
appreciated. He began to lose flesh and
have fits of depression that worried Mrs.
Mabie, and she made him consult three or
| four doctors, who prescribed various rene
dies, none of which did any good. Not until
nearly six months after that did Mrs. Ma
bic guess her husbands complaint. He came
in one evening with an air of having some
| thing on his mind and seemed several times
on the point of speaking, but apparently
thought better of it. AT last he pulled from
his pocket small package from which after
curious hesitation he produced a mysteri.
GUS arrangement of cog wheels and fanges.
II saw this in the store to-day" ne ex-
planned, as he began turning little crank
that made strange buzzing sound "A
man was demonstrating with it, and the way
! it beats an egg is simply marvel. | should
/ think that our cook might like to have it,
She probably uses fork, as her great grand
mother did before her. Let me show you
now it works, my dear. l know you would
have liked it." He sighed and turned the