The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-04-18
WHY MEN LEAVE HOME.

WHY MEN LEAVE HOME.
Mary made an ominous gesture and
dropped her half of the paper.
"Hum," she remarked.
Fair warning, this, that she was
about to unburden herself of speech
the opening gun of a volley of musket
shots-the prelude of music-the first
drop of rain on the roof-the distant
reverberation of thunder-an opening
OF a presage, whichever way you
looked at it. In vain did John rattle
bis paper and shuttle his feet. In
vain did he scof and scowl at the
news. Useless, too, were his signi6-
cant groars, mutterings and Kisses of
feminine oratory burst suddenly from
its confines, guns ratified, music play
ed, rain fell, thunder pealed and all
that had been foretold came to pass.
"These runs on these banks are
funny things, exclaimed Mary. so
are banks. The way they look at
you out of their little peep holes
And the questions they ask I went
to the bank today with that So check,
John, and I showed it in all the peep
holes until / finally came to the right
one. Paying Teller he was marked.
Is it because they tell you the check
has not been indorsed? Isuppose it's
taken from the old song:
..lf I'd as much money as could tell.
I'd never go crying Young lambs to sell J.!
"'John, you needn't rattle that pa
per. It's funny if womaa can talk
in her own house, would you like to
have me deaf and dumb? Lots of those
tellers are dumb enough. This is
made out to the order of Mr.. .Spriggets,
he said, and he turned the check over
in manner which though insulting.
/ don't like people to look at me like
that. 1t always makes me feel as if
JohnY Do you suppose It's because
we know way down in our hearts, that
we're capable of it, and that if we
haven't done anything yet, we may
soon? Grandpa Smith used to give
his boys whipping allthe way round
and when they asked him what he
was whipping them for, he used to
say, IF they don't deserve it now,
they will before night And that's
the way 1 felt when the teller looked
at me. oh, is it r. said. Yes, said
he. Dear me, said I, what shall I
dor He showed the check back
through the peep hole and said, Mr..
Spriggets will have to write his name
across the back of it. Now, John,
what's the sense of that? Suppose
YOU we're out of town and this check
was all I had between me and starva-
tion. Fat lots he'd care. But | care.
Suppose you had writer's cramp or
something and just couldn't write
your name-is that any reason why
you should be kept out of your mon
ey? No 1t is not No, John, l
won't keep quiet. That's the trouble
with you men-you haven't spunk
enough. You think because thing
is the custom it is all right and if the
teller tells you to write your name
across the back of a check you go
ahead and do it and never stop to
think.
"Now John, you know, that isn't
right You needn't thresh your feet
around that way-it isn't right
Suppose no one knew me? Suppose
was stranger in strange city and
had to have that three dollars or walk
the streets all night? No, sir, those
things ought to be changed and chang.
ed quick /; and they would, too, II
poor woman only had her say F! DO
YOU know the people in the store next
door?' 1 asked. Yes said he.
Do you trade there?' No. I said.
L don't trade there, but they can
identify me all right because they
saw me indorse the check. And when
he saw that he couldn't keep me out
Of my money any longer he paid me
So and stuck the check on a spike and
| I bought two new shirtwaists with it.
No wonder they have runs John,
what is a run l suppose everybody
wants their money at once AID it
| like If all the unmarried men got a
scare that there weren't enough girls
TO go around! Gracious what a run
there'd be They'd all try to get
married at once and that would create
a panic. Oh, dear me, lust feel as II
want to talk and"-
co." grumbled John, 1T b
wouldn't be like a run on bank"
Wouldn't it, John?" cried Mary.
"When man gets his money out
of the bank" said John, getting up
from his chair, "he can put it back
again as soon as he's mind to and
when he puts it back" said John,
plunging his arms into the sleeves OF
his overcoat, "they take it down into
into vault underneath the ground
somewhere and they put it in steel
compartment and turn key on it,
and then they shut the vault and
start the time lock and it take three
officers of the bank to get the money
out again." said John, jamming his
hat down on his head "but when a
man goes to the matrimonial bank
and gets wife !"
And John went out and walked
about in silence in the dark and Silly