The daily Alaskan., 1905-10-13
An IncOnvenient
 Way of Living
LOrlglnaLl


 clerk
 You mean afternoon, John. Don't. you know better than to come here to. make a payment after 12 o'clock on Saturdays? The safe is locked and the books closed for the week. You'll have to bring 1t Monday"
 "Ofn be workiu' all the toime y're open on MondU'."
 Can't help it."
 "Mebbe ii you'd tell me where she's Twin now Oi might talk it roun' me sell"
 Couldn't do that. When I tell men where their wives live, they go there and raise a rumpus."
 "Oi don't want to raise any rumpus, Mir. Hobbs; Ord list loike to git sight O the kid. It's month now since me an me wife parted an Oi haven't seen the boy since, Tomorra' bein' Sunda', Oi'Il be hIyiu' toimc, an its mighty lonesome up in me room.'
 Johns voice trcmbled, and the clerk wavered. Then he told John where his wife lived.
 The next morning was bright and beautiful. John shaved and got him self Into a clean white shirt (with no buttons) and started to walk half a dozen miles into the country. He ! stopped before d cabin in the center of an acre planted with garden truck. Through the open door he could see his wife in a clean calico dress buttoning the collar on their boy. five years old, thus completing his Sunday morning costume. The man leaned on the gate and called. The woman went to the door and. seeing her husband, was about to turn away, when she noticed a pitiful expression on his face.
 What brings ye here, JohnT she asked, not uuEndly.
 "The allymony. The o0is was shet up yisterday when Oi kem. The clerk told me Ol might bring it meser.'
 The woman went to the gate and the man handed her d ten dollar bilL
 well, come in and have a glass O milk: ye must be tired comiu' all the way from the city. Johnny'l be glad to see hls dad"
 Johnny who had been admonlShed In no placid terms to give his father a wide berth. looking upon this as removal of the embargo, ran down the walk. climbed up ou the gate and 1 threw his arms around his fathers neck. The mother opened thc gate and the boy rode into the house on his fathers shoulder.
 Have V come back to stay, dad" he asked eagerly.
 An embarrassing silence that fol- lowed this Ill timed remark was broken by the mother, who told the boy to keep quiet and not muss his Sunday clothes. Then she got out glass of milk and some bread and butter and set 1t before her husband.
 "Yer shirt Is wide open, John,' she said. I'm thinkln' ord better put on some buttons while yer here"
 While John was drinking the milk and eating the bread or, rather, feed Ing It to Johnny. Mrs. Hobbs was get ting out needle and thread. Then she produced the button bag, and by that time John had finished his refresh ment and was ready to have his shirt repaired, but Johnhy had settled him. self in his fathers arms and refused to be dlslodged.
 "Coom now, Johnny his mother pleaded, "daddy's wantln' to git mend- ed while he's here. Jump down loike a good boy"
 "Oi won't" said Johnny.
 Lave him alone" said the father. "Ord rayther have him than the but tons"
 The woman laid aside the button bag and the thread and needle, and Johnny and his father had a romp, ut the end of which the father produced a ginger bread horse and several sticks of can dy, with which he bribed his son to let 1 the mother sew on the buttons. The process of sewing on buttons without | Johns taking of his shirt brought hus- band and wife In close proximity. NeV- l ertheleSs they got no closer than was necessary, and, the buttons having been sewed on, John said that since tt was long walk to the city perhaps he'd better be going. But Johnny got hold of the skirt of his coat and clung so tight that neither father nor mother had the heart to shake him off.
 "Orm thinkin', JOhn," said Mrs. Hobbs, that, it bein' so onconvanient for ye to lave the allymouy at the clerks office, ye moight bring it every Sunda' yourself"
 And ye could put on the buttons"
 An effort was made with this assur- ance to Johnny to remove him, but 1t failed.
 What dye say, Mary" said John, 'to me stayin' on for awhile jist to blaze the chlle7 Oi might be helpin' ye at times with the garden"
 "Oi was thinkin' meser that 1t would be more convanient for ye to be here"
 Its far from me work, but can get up early"
 "Let go, Johnny; daddy's goIn' to stay with us.'