West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1908-07-30

""N "hu anOtner uOCk
scrambled aboard. Ding-ding. The
cattle cars OF the Manhattan elevated
rattled away. and John Perkins drift.
cd down the stairway of the station
with the. released flock.
John walked slowly toward his dat
slowly, because in the lexicon OF his
daily life there was no such word az
perhaps" There are no SURPRISES
awaiting man who has been married
TWO years and lives In u fiat AS he
walked John Perkins prophesied 10
himself with gloomy and downtrodden
cynicism the foregone conclusions OF
the monotonous day.
Katy would meet him mt the door
with kiss favored with cold cream
and butter scotch He would remove
ms coat, SIT upon macadamized
lounge and read in the evening paper
or Russians and Japs slaughtered by
the deadly linotype. For dinner there
would be pot roast, salad favored
with dressing warranted not 10 crack
or injure the leather, stewed rhubarb
and the bottle of strawberry marina
iade blushing at the certificate OF
chemical purity on its label. After
dinner Katy would show him the new
patch In her crazy quilt that the ice
man had cut for her of the end of his
four-in-hand. At half past Z they
would spread newspapers over the fur
niture to catch the pieces OF plastering
that fell when the fat man I'm the fat
overhead began TO take his physical
culture exercises. Exactly at Hickey
ana Mooney OF the vaudeville team
(unbooked) In the fat across the hall
would yield to the gentle influence OF
deiirium tremens and begin to over
turn chairs under the deluslon that
Hammerstein was pursuing them with
q hye hundred dollar a week contract
Then the gent at the window across
the air shaft would get out his flute;
the nightly gas leak would steal forth
10 froiic In the highways; the dumb
waiter would slip of its trolley; the
Janitor would drive Mrs. ZanowitskPs
hve children once more across the
Yalu; the lady with the champagne
shoes and the skye terrier would trim
downstairs and paste her Thursday
name over her bell and letter box. and
the evening routine OF the Frogmore
mus WOuIu DE under way.
John Perkins knew these things
would happen. And he knew that Mt
quarter past he would summon his
nerve and reach for his hat and that
his wife would deliver this speech I'm
a querulous tone:
NOW, where are you going. I'd like
to know, John Perkins?"
Thought I'd drop up to McCios-
keys" he would answer, "and play
game or two OF pool with the fellows"
OF late such had been John Perkins'
habit. At 10 or IL he would return.
Sometimes Katy would be asleep.
sometimes waiting up. ready TO melt
In the crucible OF her ire little more
gold plating from the wrought steel
chains OF matrimony. For these things
Cupid Will have to answer when he
stands Mt the bar OF justice with his
victims from the Frogmore fats.
Tonight John Perkins encountered a
tremendous upheaval OF the common
place when he reached his door No
Katy was there with her affectionate.
confectionate kiss. The three rooms
seemed In portentous disorder. All
about lay her things in confusion.
Shoes In the middle OF the floor curl
Ing tongs, hair bows. klmonos. powder
box, 5umbled together on dresser and
chairs-this was not Katy's way. With
a sinking heart John saw the comb
with curling cloud of her brown hair
among its teeth. Some unusual hurry
and perturbation must have possessed
her, for she always carefully placed
these combings In the little blue vase
on the mantle to he some day formed
into the coveted feminine "rat."
Hanging conspicuously 60 the gas jet
by string was folded paper. John
seized IL. 1t was n note from his wife
running thus:
Dear. John--I just had a telegram say
Ing mother is very sick. ! am going to
kake the .4:30 train. Brother Sam Is go
IglPs to meet me at the depot there. There
ts cold mutton I'm the ice box hope II
Isn't her quinzy again. Pay the milkman
50 cents. She had II bad last spring.
Don't forget TO write to the company
about the gas meter. and your good socks
are In the top drawer. I will write to-
morrow Hastily, KATY.
Never during their two years OF
matrlmony had he and Katy been sep
arated for a night. John read the note
over and over I'm dumfounded way.
Here was a break In routine that
had never varied, and It left him dazed.
There on the back of n chair hung.
pathetIcally empty and formless. the
red wrapper with black dots that she
always wore while getting the meals
Her week day clothes had been tossed
here and there I'm her haste. A little
e.. 4.
lay with its string yet unwOund a
daily paper sprawled on the floor. gap
ing rectangularly where railroad
time table had been clipped from H..
Everything in the room spoke Of a
loss Of an essence gone. Of It's soul
and life departed. John Perkins stood
among the dead remains with n queer
feeling Of desolation I'm his heart.
He began TO set the rooms tidy as
well as he could When he touched
her clothes a thrill OF something like
terror went through him. lie had
never thought what existence would
be without Katy. She had become 50
thoroughly annealed into his life that
she was like the air he breathed-
necessary, but scarcely noticed. Now,
without warning, she was gone, van
ished, as completely absent as II she
had never existed. or course II would
be only for a few days, or at most a
week or two, but " seemed TO him as
n the very hand OF death had pointed
a finger at his secure and uneventful
home.
John dragged the cold mutton from
the ice box, made coffee and sat down
20 lonely meal face TO face with the
strawberry marmalade's shameless GER
tiicate OF purity. Bright among with
drawn blessings now appeared to him