Middletown transcript., 1905-06-17


himself SO generally useful and obliging
that his sin was condoned, laughed at ii
private, and told as good joke TO on,
or two intimate friends of the heads. Hi
salary, which Of course lad not begun
until after the exposition, which cam,
about bv accident at the end Of two o
three weeks, was moderate at first, nstur
allv, but quite enough for his own needs
and lie determined at once that it should
be more than enough, to which end lii
removed from the boarding-honse which
he had patronized, SO soon as he had paic
the bill which had been his stake in this
little confidence game took comfor
table lodging-room in building full b
offices, for which, including the ninistra
tons OF the janitor and his wife, lie paid
about fourth as much as his room and
board had cost him hitherto, and ther
proceeded to "find himself" On higl
DAYS and holidays lie dined at reatatir.
ant or good hotel, but intermediately lie
dined at home, and his letters, about this
time, we're looked forward to BY Ills
family with peasurable excitement.
Lucila was his chief intimate, although
lie was fond OF all his sisters and it was
to ler, as housekeeper-in-ch that lie
appealed for advice and instruction. LII
ella objected strongly to postal cards she
insisted that they always made her feel
as she knew she should if she went to
make calls in her dressing-sacque and
red balmoral, and she would not he in
duced to use them so Tom, who declared
that, dear as his family was to him,
from three to nine cents day expended
in postage made them much too dear,
bought French dictionary and grammar
at secondhand bookstore, and pro-
ceeded to write French postal cards.
Tie girls were all good French scholars
but it frequently took their united forces
to arrive at Toms meaning. They were
amply repaid, however, for their trouble,
by the look Of deep disgust with which
the lady who presided over the postoflice
handed them their daily mail. They
could not held reveling in the deprivation
she was suffering when they deciphered
such dispatches as the following:
''How i'll thunder do You clear coffee
with an egg? l put a whole one in mine
every morning, and it don't clear worth
a cent Y
Lucilla always responded to the Gull
nary questions, and her reply to this was
brief:
do you break the egg, and use only
the white, with little cold water, before
pouring in boiling water ~
To which Tom responded-in French,
Of course-"Bless me, no, child | eat
the egg when drink the coffee-I thought
it was the shell that did it I'm sure /
have heard you say SO y
Lucilla smiled superior when she ex-
tracted the information that, Fan aspara-
gus can went off at me last night, like a
whole battery Of brass cannons-I sup
pose ought to have made a hole in it
frst-ought II"
But her pity almost overcame her
amusement, when he plaintively inquired
How can | keep the bntter from running
into the fire when | broil a steak ? 1t
takes almost pound and half OF butter
every time, and none decent under fifty
cents pound"
''Never put the butter on until the steak
is broiled, and removed from the gridiron
you poor boy T. replied Lucilla.
But Toms blunders became lever as
time went on, and in few months, he
announced triumphantly that he'd just
like to have them all to dinner
A long cherished plan, which lie and
Lucilla divulged to no one else, was that
when Belle and Majorie should be old
and experienced enough to succeed Lucilla
in the charge of the house, she should
take up her abode permanently with
Tom, as his housekeeper and manager.
They did not want whole huuse-oh,
dear, no just two more rooms i'll the
building i'll which Tom lodged and the
rooms had been picked out for some time.
'.The only thing that bothers me,
wrote Tom, lis that Mrs. Mulrooney has
to 60 through one Of our rooms-the one
with the big south windows, which is to
be the parlor, and where you are to have
all the plants and cats you want--to get
out on the fiat where she hangs her wash
to dry /; but think | see way to change
the staircase a little, and cut off small
passage, which will not spoil the room.
| saw little refrigerator, yesterday, which
| could really hardly help buying, it was
50 exactly what we will want but luckily,
it was just before | drew my weeks pay,
and | hadn't rap!
"Don't you thiak it would be good
notion for you to make some Of those rag
rugs, and mats and things, in your spare
minutes You know we can't afford car
pet, or even mating, for some time yet
but am dropping in at painters, where
have scraped acquaintance, every day
Dr. two, and he's going to show me how
10 oil the floor, in return for jolly
rhymed advertisement I've just written
,or him, beginning
'Ye, who would view your homes Alright,
Jet Thomas Duffy to paint them white
And you shall gaze on your hall with
pride
Of course | alIude to the inner side y
Lucilla's letters were, at first, warmly
she begged him to make no
ash purchases, as she knew she could
make the money 90 twice as far; and
every letter bore fresh testimony to the
Increasing capability Of Belle and Mar
orie, who could really, if they only
llougl,t SO, take charge Of the mouse, and
,aby, and father, and cousin Bertha, at
nee, and let her go but they had SO
little confidence in themselves. aud were
o foolish about her, if she only went TO
own for tile day.