Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1908-06-10
sAA44,Ss;A!D
Sympathetic Mrs. Massey Wept
CopIouaiy.

| ana Wlplng ner eyes with a certain
modest ostentation, did you read this
piece?'
'Yes," said John, rafting his hall
of the evening paper and refusing to
look up. Yes. read It,"
"Then what's it about?" she de
manded, giving him a look which was
also of a demanding nature, whats
it about, them
But as for John, he scowled all over
his physiognomy and preserved the
silence of stones; and as they sit
there. he pretending to be absorbed in
his paper and she trying to break
down this pretense by the silent power
of a concentrated glare3 let me tell
you a little more about the time, the
place and the persons of the drama.
Time, then; The present,
Hour: Eight p. m.
Place The Masseys sitting room,
coy and homelike, green-shaded lamp
on the table, stuffed bird on thAman-
tel-piece and all the linen worked by
hand; on one side of the table sits
Mrs Massey, bright, plump and com
Portable: across the table sits John,
slippered, fed and pampered to the
mines, credit man of hardware firm
downtown, short both of stature and
of temper, choleric, peppery and of an
irritable cast of countenance when
crossed Yes, such were Mr.. and
Mrs. Massey as they sat there in their
sitting room, he rafting his paper and
pretending to read it, and she setting
him with her eye over the top of her
paper, with an appropriate look of
indignation on her comfortable face.
Whats it about, them she repeat
ed John, what's 1t about?'
Never mind" snapped John,
Never you mind what it's about!
Can't you see l am reading?"
"But / do mind" said Mrs.
Massey, speaking with spirit that
can only be found in woman who
loves her bit of talk and who has had
no better company all day long than
a stuffed bird on the mantelpiece
But l do mind" she repeated. so
you see you might just as well tell
me first as last"
Thus trapped into the pit of his
own digging, John groaned in his spir-
it and laid his paper down. Whereupon
Mrs. Massey's contentment became
too great for words and she mutely
looked at the phenomenon of John
The Trapped Man with look that
said, 20, this is very gratifying"
Its this piece in the paper" she
said aloud, at last. 1T made me cry"
"What do you want to cry for?"
said John, with an alarming gesture
of Impotence. ITS nothing to do
with you, is it?'
John" she said with fearful air
of pride, Il was always that way.
remember when | was little girl and
used to recite 'Hesperides,' ! was all
right till came to that verse:
%, father, 1 hear the sound of bells;
o, say, what can 1t be?
But father answered never a word,
A frozen corpse was he
AYE, dear!" she said with a COM
Portable tremolo, John, wish you'd
just read this piece. Read it out. It's
the saddest piece!"
"'Chicago, February 2S,' began
John, with a mean look
aye, dear! Aye, dear!" said Jane,
dabbing her eyes with her handker-
chief. -~,
What's the matter now?' demanded
John.
'Boo!" said Jane.
There's nothing sad in that, is
there? Chicago. February Is"
''Boo-oo!" said Jane. aye, dear!
Aye, dear!"
Its SO sad" she said, wiping her
eyes and speaking in faint, content
ed voice. Go on, John. Go on"
"'When William Nelson con
tinued John
'G-r-r-r-r!" she gasped.
IA sad-faced man"
poor things! Poor things!" she
melancholy.
-" was arraigned before Justice
Pennington this morning"
She made a great TODD with her
handkerchief and peacefully gasped
for air,
for terrorizing the neighborhood
the Judge said: "You don't seem to be
such terror this morning"
Jane sobbed away as though her
swelling heart would break.
Judge, he said, I might have been
terror last night; but this morning
/ amt even qualm of apprehen-
sion!"
John thereupon looked up in AFFECT
ed surprise, his mean look at its eli
max
why, l don't see anything in that,
he said. #
"You don't?p she cried. w
why, no; it's funny That's what 1t
ia"