The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-06-07


he carried a cane, too-but in a most
sheepish manner!
Seeing this, Mary ran for the cook
book, and that night John sat down
to dinner that began with pea soup
and ended with frozen custard; and
afterward Mary remarked:
John, Mr.. Davenport is ill.,
"No!" exclaimed John. Whats
the matter with him?"
Pneumonia" said Mary, shaking
her head, "or at least a very bad
cold. Mrs. Davenport was telling
me that he caught it by getting his
feet cold. John, how did you like
the white sauce tonight? Was it
good?"
"Fine!" said John.
Whereupon Mary promptly said:
went shopping today"
"Yes?" beamed John, clasping his
hands over his waistcoat buttons.
Yes, Mary?"
eyes," said Mary "And, John, 1
bought you the loveliest present
Wait! I'll fetch them!"
She ran out of the room. breath
less, and ran back again with a pair
of pearl-gray CATERS in her hand.
Look, John." she cried. Now you
won't catch pneumonia"
why" cried John, aghast, these
are gaiters!"
EYES," said Mary. AREN'T they
pretty?"
"Why,' cried John, in panic, Il
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
on his feet, too-and looked as II
he hated himself.
Seeing this, Mary took down her
dotted Swiss curtains from the sit
ting-ro0m windows Mary's sitting
room looked into Mrs SCOTS 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
Homework like a cyclone, and at
half past one,-dressed in her very
best things,-Mary took the air, in
manner most exasperating, and
called at the butchers, the bakers
and the grocer's.
It was a banquet that John sat
down to that night,-no less,-and
after the last morsel of it 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 gardener this year to dig our
grader so that we can grow our own
eggplant and caulifowers and squash
and things''-three little weaknesses
of Johns.
"Splendid!" said John. "I'll begin
digging it in the morning"
mo, it's too hard work for you. I'll
get a man. Shall I, John?"
"Oh, I can do it, said John. 81
need the exercise"
mo, John, it's too hard work for
you. I'll get a man. Shall l, John?
Look, John, L have the telephone book
right open at the florists name. I'll
,,ir I, ho1 ms
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-all in such a 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. SCOTS back win
dows. H1f@
"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 a
man this afternoon. Hurry up, John;
dinner is just ready" she cried, ex-
citedly. And I've got such dinner
for you'll"
A dinner? 1t was a 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 it all, Mary cried:
John, l am going to give party!"
If there was one thing John hated, it
was party.
"A musicale!" cried Mary.
Nou ~ fharo Wac ono hind Of a