The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-10-22
there's no office for me today. Now,

''The clothes for the wash, please,
sir" said a little girl, courtesying
hulnbly at the door.
"Upstairs and downstairs" went
Peter Carver, laying hands on what
ever he considered proper prey for
the washtub, rummaging in bureau
drawers, upheaving the contents of
trunks and turning wardrobes in
side out for mortal hour before he
had completed the requisite search.
The kitchen was empty when he
returned.
"Where are the children?" was
his first alarmed thought, express
ing itself unconsciously in words.
E1 saw 'em go out of the door,
please, sir" said the washerwoman's
little girl.
The July sun was beginning to
glow intensely in the heavens. The
pavements rejected We ardent
shine with tenfold heat, and poor
| Peter Carver was nearly melted ere
he espied his hopeful son and heir,
with Pet following.
Neither of them would walk-in
fact, the little wanderers were far
too weary-so Mr.. Carver mounted
one on each arm and carried them,
limp and unresisting, through the
streets.
CPL have a nurse for you, my
young friends, before the world is
day Older" he said, grinding his
teeth with impotent wrath as he de-
posted Pet and Tommy on the floor
and went YEARLY to his household
duties.
GLOW are you now, Garry ?"he said
about an hour afterward, throwing
himself into a chair by her bedside
and tanning himself with the news
paper he had laid there that morn
ing.
"About the same, dear. How does
the housekeeping get along?"
at don't get along at all"
is dinner READY
"Dinner?" echoed Peter in a sort
of dismayed tone. "Why, l haven't
got through with breakfast yeti"
"But it is 10 o'clock"
81 don't care if it's IS o'clock. A
man can't do forty things at once"
"Where are the children?" asked
his wife.
GIN bed. They were too much for
me, so I undressed 'em and put 'em
to bed to get them out Of the way"
"Poor thingsw said Carry.
"Poor me, / should think" said
Carver irately. 81 had quite enough
to do without 'em. I've broken the
plates and melted off the nose of the
teapot and lost my diamond ring in
the ash barrel and cut my fingers
with the carving knife"
'Have you looked after the pic
kles and baked fresh pies ?"
"Nop
"Nor blackened the range nor
cleaned the knives nor scrubbed the
kitchen floor ?"
| 'sNo."
"Nor made the beds nor swept
the chamber nor busted the parlors
nor polished the windows nor heard
the children's lessons nor taken care
of the canary birds nor
"Stop-stopp calculated Mr.. Pc
ter Carver, tearing wildly at his
hair. "You don't mean to say that
you do all these things every day ?"
Il do most certainly and long be-
fore - o'clock. And yet you won
der that am not dressed and cult
waiting my mind before II o'clock"
'My dear Carry" said Peter peni-
tently, II have been a brute I'll
have a cook and a nurse and a
chambermaid here just as soon as |
can possibly obtain them. You
shall be drudge no longer"
A few minutes afterward the un-
skilled cook was scorching his whis-
kers over a gridiron covered with
Kissing mutton chops, which would
alarm him by suddenly blazing up
into his face without the least pre-
monitory symptom, when light
step crossed the kitchen floor and a
little hand took the handle of the
gridiron from his grasp.
Garry"
81 release you from duty" smiled
the wife. ''My ankle is better now"
81 say, Carry!"
"Well?"
'"Tell the truth, now. Wasn't that
ankle business little exaggerat-
ed %
| CnnciHorafo