The Saint Paul globe., 1904-01-24
NO MORE OATES"
FOR THIS HUSBAND
He Refuses Hereafter to Wait
for His Wife Among State
Street Washers.


CHICAGO. Jan. 2S.-Williams wife has
tust called him up on the phone and
asked him to meet her and go shopping.
His reply had been strenuous and TO the
point.
Not in one thousand, two hundred and
ten years. it was. 'Ill go shopping with
YOU, all right and carry your bundles, and
pay the bills, but when you ask me TO
meet you in front of one of the stores on
State street 1 am no longer the dutiful
husband to whom his wife'S wish is a
law. / am stern helpmeet, and put
my foot down. If you are desirous or my
company on your price asking tour IL
for you to illumine my office with your
presence You meet me here and we IL
go hence together"
Then he turned to me, hanging up the
receiver
"Dost deem me harsh?" he asked, and
/ replied that 1 didn't know the circum-
stances, so could not judge.
We'll" said Williams, you wouldn't
If you knew, or if you had ever waited
for your wife outside one of those stores
on a busy shopping day did it, the
other afternoon, and never again for me-
Arrives on Time.
"State street during the, shopping
hours, you know, is the, abode Of that
human cousin of the polecat, the male
flirt. l had read this, but never thought
of it when Mrs. Williams asked me to
make tryst with her at one of the big
dry goods arks along the east side OF that
esplanade. Would that l had not for
gotten the fact!
"She was to meet me at 2:30. Knowing
her, got there way ahead of time-3:15,
for, having made it 2:30, | knew she
would be there promptly at 3:25 Before
the store took my stand and prepared
to wait.
For a few minutes 1t was not tedious
The passing crowds, the freaks of femin-
Unity ! saw, and some who We're not
IL er0f
over on State street at that time of day.
and 1 enjoyed the sights, thinking of how
much money was being circulated by TINS
never ending wave of womanhood, and all
that sort of stuff. But in a little while
the situation began to grow tireSome.
However, l saw that l was not alone on
the waiting list, for there We're dozen
women, more or less, in the lobby of the
store, also waiting for people. But the
longer 1 stood there the more nervous
got and began to wonder what on earth
was keeping my wife.
Washers Rouse Fighting Spirit.
"Just as L had figured out a nice lecture
to give her on the Importance of punctu-
ality l saw one of these male flirtS coming
down the street. l was on to him in a
minute. The self-satisfed air, the waXed
mustache, and the leer at every woman
who passed him made me want to walk
out and trip him up. Soon saw another.
and then another, and probably a half
dozen passed along there. One tork his
stand on the opposite sidewalk and leered
across the street 1t made me, as it
would make any self-respecting man,
"And then, talk about your .jolts! A
couple of women came along at one of
whom I had seen the most obnoxious Of
these male flirts wink as he had passed
her on the sidewalk. The women We're
talking about him.
It's simply disgusting said one of
them. This street is getting so that l
hate to come down here alone. I've seen
that man half dozen times today, and
there are others who make this their reg
nlar stamping grounds. There's one across
10 a whisper, which 1 nevertheless over
heard; there's another. He's been here
Then Came the Jolt.
'fI looked to see whom they meant
when to my horror L discovered that they
meant mel
1T was a shock. 1 can tell you, and 1
wonder that l didn't shout out a denial
There 1 had been standing, more than
half an hour minding my own business,
and wondering how l could rid the street
Df its obnoxious element. only to have two
women class me with that element! The
horror of the thing flashed through my
mind. If these two thought I was there
10 hirt how many more must have the
same idea? 1 looked about me. There was
the carriage man on the sidewalk. AS he
caught my gaze he sneered and turned
away. The policeman frowned and clutch
ed his club and the waiting women in the
lobby of the store tossed their heads IS l
turned my gaze on them.
1 was suspected by everyone, that was
plain! / was so angry that could have
licked the policeman and the carriage
man with one hand and felt like doing it,
But what could 1 do? If 1 strolled along
that would be simply acting the part they
were ascribing to me, for that's what all
the firts were doing If 1 went inside
the store I might miss my wife. And if
| stood there-well, it was the only thing
to do So planted my feet firmly tried
to look as though never knew there was
D woman in the world, and waited. And
Then l heard a voice.
"'Dearie, it said, have you been wait
Ing long?'
TT was my wife, 1 grabbed her by the
arm and spoke harshly So harshly that
she looked at me In astonishment, but 1
had a purpose. l wanted everyone to
know that she WAS NV wife