The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-04-25
A BRUTE OF A MAN.

man with the square chin. "Wha "a.
men folks may think of him u perhap
be some different but they WON'T es
press their views, anyhow
"The man. icing on Uncle Sans
wage list in the s1.40o-a-year class. ism L
exactly a5le to perceive where he ana
his wife break into the pink tea bunoh
That is to say, he hasn't social aspira-
lions to cause him to stop paying his
grocery bills or to induce him to he
awake o nights wondering how be'
going to beg or bribe some piu-healr
legation attache to lead hin distinction
BY honorlng his roof
He doesn't see waare this kind Of
lay is at all necessary to his happiness
or peace Of mind But his wife during
the past six months-or since my
friend, he onery man, got his pay
raised from $1,000 to S1,4Oo-has been
nz-gigging around on the outskirts of
the pink tea gang, trying to wriggle in
through the medium OF samovar lea
served in a S1.4S set Of Dresden.
Now, my pal the mean man, puts IN
a pretty far days work for his govern
ment wages. and when he gets home
from work he likes to Sit down to
proper meal Of victuals. with his faml
around the board, and the cat washing
herself before the basement la.robe
when his wife got her afternoon al
home thing into commission, however,
he got his instructions 30 sneak into
his home by the basement route. and
to keep himself slowed therae unTil
such time as his wife. upstairs in Der
reception room they pay $3.50
month rent-got through talking.
1T was up to my chum. the mean
man. to lit down there in the basement
munching on his nails and Tightening
to keep himself slowed there until
the last Of the at-homers had let up on
the samoyar tea and gone home to dig
up The cold pork chop in the icebox
wherewith to make a dinner-for the
at-homers never sit down to a square,
hot meal, y'see.
We'll, Jim-thats my pal, the mean
man-stood for this end of 1t Ill last
week. and then sedition and blood-red
revolt took .ession of him.
"He couldn't figure 1t out where be
crt in on that proposition, with the
taIkfest going on upstairs about the
good, the true and the beautiful on his
wife's afternoons at home, while he,
hungry to the soul OF him, had to hang
around the basement reading the pa
per down to the lost and found ads. IN
til about 1880 o'clock, when his wife I'D
release the nine-dollar-a-month maid
from upstairs duty and let her take OF
her maids cap and slope below to pre-
pare somethin to eat AS / say. this IS
what got Jim a-going. He made up his
hind he was going to be It; and he
made It stick; and that's the reason
he's the meanest man In Washington.
maybe.
Jim got home on time-fve O'Clock
ON Wednesday afternoon last-his
wife's ai-home day. He had some bur
dies under his arm. In one Of the brown
paper packages was big tenderloin
steak. In another were about dozen
or so nice, big, juicy Bermuda onions.
''Jim raked the kitchen FIRE over As
soon as he got in by the basera mt
route. took of his coat. set the coffee
pot on the stove. and started to get his
own supper.
Within about quarter Of an hour
he had about as nice a looking mess
30 he tells me-of heefsteak and onions
under way as he ever saw. He didng
open the rear kitchen door, either, &c
let the cuion smell sneak out tha, way.
Jim was on the level He wasn't trying
TO put up any bluffs. and he wantcd
the sayory smell Of those frying onions
TO make itself at home throughout tha
house.
"Then he set the diningroom table.
not neelecting to FIX places for his
two little boys, who were kept upstairs
huddled out OF sight on these at-home
days
When the meal was smoking on the
table. jim. with his hair tousled and
his face steaming, made he best os his
way up the basement stairs through
the powerful and appalling aroma OF
fried onions, and, standing at the foot
of the stairs leading to the second floor.
yelled to his two boys:
Hey, there. Dick. and you, Bob.
come on down to your dinner!'
Then he went 10 the door Of the re-
eeption room and did fine bit Of act
ng-pretending that he felt all kinds
Of dismay and embarrassment over
showing up that way, He says that the
glare he go, from his wife came near
whiting him: but Jim's no gutter and
be stayed with the game,
My dear. said he to his wife. I'm
Just about due 10 make a hit with you
all rght--Is'c cooked up big batch Of
beefsteak and onions. that you're SO
fond Of. and what you'll DO TO it'll be a
plenty. But you are busy. sea Wen,
MI put yours In place in tne oven
"Thon he called the kids again from
- h,ft... - t1,a ofaT~a aud .rnnt