Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-06-19

She ran out OF the n, breath.
less, and ran back again III a pair
Of pearl-gray CATERS in her hand.
Look, joint" she cried. Nov you
won't catch pneumonia"
Why" cried John. aghast, these
are galters!"
YES" said Mary. AREN'T they
pretty?"
Why" cried John, in a panic, 81
can't wear CATERS, Mary! l can't
wear CATERS, you know! Why"
He brought his head round with
that under movement, and looked
Mary in the eye. And Mary's eye
were SO brimfal and her cheeks SO
bright that John said no more, but
wore his CATERS the next morning,
like the dutiful husband he was.
The morning following, when Mr..
Scott went to work, he had CATERS
he hated himself!
Seeing this, Mary took down her
dotted Swiss curtains from the sit.
ting-room windows Mary's sitting
room looked into Mrs. Scotts parlor,
and put her best parlor curtains
there instead; took her three steam.
er rugs and hung them out on the
clothes-line; rushed through her
housework like cyclone, and at
half past one,-dressed in her very
best things.-Mary took the air, in
a manner most exasperating, and
called at the butchers, the bakers
and the grocer's.
1t was a banquet that John sat
down to that night,-no less.-and
after the last morsel of 1t had dis
appeared he made a perfect picture
of bliss.
Did you have good dinner, John?"
"Fine!" said John.
John" said his wife, 1--WE must
have 4 gardener this year to dig our
graden so that we can grow our own
eggplant and caulifowers and squash
and hings'-three little weaknesses
of Johns.
Splendid" said John. "rll begin
digging it in the morning."
mo, it's too hard work for you. I'll
get a man. Shall l, John?'
ooh. can do It," said John. II
need the exercise"
NO, John, it's too hard work for
you. I'll get man. Shall l, John?
Look, John, have the telephone book
right open at the florists name. I'll
ring him up! Shall l, John? Yes.
I'll ring him up right away and tell
him to send his colored man round
the very first thing in the morning."
So that next morning, before John
left the house for his daily work. he
looked out of the back windows, and
saw, indeed. Mary's colored man al.
ready busy digging the garden-un-
der Mary's personal supervision. Mary
was showing the gardener where to
dig. how to dig, where to throw the
stones. and giving him many other
lessons-aH in such manner and
with such gestures that it was hard
to tell at times whether Mary was
giving her instructions to the gar
dener or to Mrs. Scotts back win.
dows.
"Hello!" said John coming home
early. that night. Your mans over
in Mrs. SCOTS garden, working over.
time"
NO" said Mary. That's their
man. They had to go and hire
man this afternoon. Hurry up, John;
dinner is Just ready" she cried, ex.
citedly. "And I've got such a dinner
for you!"
A dinner? 1t was feast! Toma-
to soup, shad roe, fried chicken, loin
of veal. potato chips. macaroni with
cheese, spinach and egg. gooseberry
jelly, charlotte russo and coffee. And
after 1t all, Mary cried:
John. am going to give party!"
If there was one thing John hated, it
was party.
"A musicale!" cried Mary.
Now If there was one kind of
party that John hated worse than
another it was a musicale.
And I'm going to teach you to play
banjo!" concluded Mary.
All, and in vain were Johns signs
and lamentations, his plaintive ex-
CARNATIONS and his reproachful looks!
Mary's mouth was set; Mary's will
was adamant, and when John left the
house the next morning, with his hat,
his stick and his gaiters,-while Mary
was giving her colored man still fur
Their instructions,-he had little Bit
of white thread tied to his ring as
reminder not to forget the banjo.
Toward noon that day Mary was
walking from the garden into her
ktchen-to study the cookbook
when strange thing happened. Mrs.
Scott came out on her back piazza and
said:
Mrs. PART" Parr was Johns 9TH
er name.
Mary looked to the right of her, and
Mary looked to the left of her, and in
front of her, and behind her, until
finally her eyes condescended to dwell
upon Mrs. Scott.
Mrs. Parr" said Mrs. Scott, 81
want you to understand distinctly, dis
tinctly, please, that when l said last
week that there was very little style
in Fremont, never for one moment
meant to include you in that state
ment. And won't you come over and
have lunch with meg"
Mrs. Scott" said Mary, 81 will
She did, too, and stayed so late that
afternoon that she had not been back
in her own house long before John
came, saying mournfully:
'I've got the banjo"
f"John," said Mary, i've changed
my mind. and we just won't give that
musicale"
John gave great sigh of relief.
And, john" continued Mary, "if
you really don't like to wear that hat
and -"
John gave another great sigh of
relief.
And you might pay off the man.
John. He's finished"