The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-20

shall try to tell you NldL We had Tor dinner last night. We had some kind of soup with little green specks floating in iit-I forgot the name of 1.-two or three kinds of meat, with appropriate vegeta- bles; pudding the recipe for which must have been gleaned from the an- gels, and coffee that might have been breWed in heaven. don't believe Phil adelphia could show a better menu than that. Really, Minnie, you ought to see me eat. My appetite must astonish the Perkinses. They probably think that lasted for several weeks before coming to Scranton. am sorry that I shall wind up the business here in week or ten days. I shall hate to leave. think i I would get fat if I lived with the Per kinses long"
 DeIectable as was the fare, James Randolph stretched facts little when describing are variety of the viands served, bnut he did it in good cause, and his conscience was in nowise out |raged. He awaited with impatience his wife's reply. When it came he wished it had been delayed little longer. Its brevity frightened him.
 Dear James," she wrote, q am glad you enjoy Kate Perkins cooking. un- der the circumstances, perhaps it would be well for you to proong your visit in- definitely"
 For the first time James Randolph req | lized that he had overshot the mark in his former gushing epistle By Georgei'' he said, 'the title girl is jeal- ous. I thought I understood Minnie cear down to the ground. but it seems I didn't. I'm on the track of her idio- syncrasies now, however. and another letter will bring her around all right. In his second etter James Randolph changed his tactics.
 T am not in goodshape at the pres ent writing" he said. If things con tinue to go this way l think I shall have to leave the Perkinses and stay at
 a hotel. I can't stand the cooking.
 The first day I was here they put their best foot forward. and fairly surfeited lme with good things; but since then there has been a slump in the commits Isary department, and you can't get a decent meal here to save your life. Of course I can't kick, considering that l
 am guest in private family; indeed, true courtesy forbids my writing the facts even to you, but l thought it best Ito tell you the plain truth, so that in case I get sick you will know he cause. I shall be in Scranton only two days longer. and shall try to stick it out
 here, but if things get too bad shall, as I said. leave and go to the hotel. But even though I should make the I change I fear that my system is al ready so deranged that I shall not re- cuperate until I get home and revive myself with two or three of your excel lent dinners.
 Every meal that James Randolph ate in the Perkins house after that almost choked him. He was glad when MT Smith telegraphed him to go on to
 Pittsburg for few days and stop at Scranton on his way back to close the deal with Horace Perkins.
 T suppose" he said to Perkins on their way to the station, that there is no douht about my getting the busi- ness?"
 None whatever" said Perkins. 1T don't mind telling you, however, that it lis your own personality that has won the day. There is another man in the field who has offered Just as good in- ducements as your house offered, but in consideration of yourself-fanlily re- lations and all that-we have decided to give the contract to you. The affair is practically settled. When you come back from Pittsburg everything will be all right, and you can go nto Phila-
 delphia with the papers in your pocket. !" At that James Randolph's conscience Ismote himviolently. He felt that some
 him for his sins, and it did. James Randolph reached Pittsburg on a Wednesday morning. On Thursday he lreceived letter from Horace Perkins. I We have given the contract to your I competitor he wrote, "The inclosed letter will explain why
 James Randolph palpitated nervously as he opened the inclosure. It was a letter from his wife to Mrs. Perkins. and ran in this wise:
 My Dear Kate: I really am so ir- dignant that the ties of kinship and the amenities of social life cannot keep me l silent How could you have the reart
 to treat my husband as. you have? If
 you edidn't want him to visit you and
 iddr't intend to furnish him with the
 necessities of life, why did you invite
 him? He could have stayed at the ho-
 tel. The firn.pays his expenses, and even If they didn't I guess he could have managed it. Really Kate,
 don't know what to think of you. But know whatyou have done to James I have his letter here to quote from. can't stand the cooking. That is what he says. You can't get decent meal here to save your life flames says he is sure he will be sick after his experi-
 ence at your house, and he wants me te
 know what causes it. If anything does Fappen to him shall never forgive you
 ) ou know he is all I have, and you ight at least have given him decent : cd. James didn't want to complain Id I don't doubt that he would bt lite angry if he knew I said anything you about it, but really am so dis : lsted that can't control myself.' { What James said may not be repeat le enterprising agent of the firm o1 { nith & Eldridge did not go to Scran.
 on his way back to Philadelphia 2 evious to his homecoming his superi. had heard meagre account of the ranton fiasco; what they demanded