Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1909-01-27

N mind on the mora
"a ing of her return
did you ge'
along all right at the house?" she
asked when her husband met her at
the station.
"Yes, fine"
did you get many meals at homer
"Some. l couldn't eat much"
you poor old dear, it must have
been dreadfully lonesome for YOU"
i 1T was. This is cur car" said Jack
who did not seem to take an interest In
the subject of his housekeeping expert
ence.
Mrs. Jack studied his profile as they
sat side by side On the car and de
cided that he looked tired and thin.
"How sweet and natural 1t all
looks!" she said as Jack unlocked the
door of their dwelling,
Yes, the house is still here" hs
remarked, enthusiastically.
Mrs. Jack inwardly bewailed tho
fact that the best of men, like her
dear old Jack, were painfully lacking
In sentiment. But as she stepped into
the hall, where the dust lay apparently
a halfinch thick on the table and
hatrack, her own rejoicing at coming
home weakened a little. When she
entered the living room, where over
flowing ash trays filled her nostrils
with unpleasantly antique odors, she
easped; "Oh, Jac.1n'
But Jack, seemir gly unconscious OF
any discorda at note in the usually at
tractive room, sai5 I'll have tc
hurry downtown, dcr, or | shall be
late at the, office"
Go he did, leaving Mrs. Jack to ex'
plore the rest of the house alone.
She went first to her own room.
Hardly waiting to remove her hat and
gloves, she began trying to straighten
out the chaos she found. She hung
up trousers and coats and put away
shirts and then made up the disor'
dered bed.
Poor Jack! How he must have
suffered in this untidy place." she said
to herself.
Then she went into the guest
room, where daintiness was always
the pride of her order-loving heart.
She fairly groaned as she beheld the
beautiful lace spread she had herself
crocheted, lying In a crumpled heap
on the floor and one of the pillow
shams, which matched so perfectly,
wadded into the wash basin, mil
dewed, and showing only too plainly
that 1t had been used as towel. The
bed, like the one in her room, was un-
made and a stray collar and pair OF
socks were proofs to the indignant
wife that her husband had had the to-
merity to use the best spare room.
BY the time she had made the tour
of the dining-room, kitchen and pantry
she came to the conclusion that never
again would she trust her beloved be-
longings to the untender care OF Jack.
On the dining-room table was her best
damasS cloth generously splashed at
one end with coffee and stained at the
other with great spots of grape Juice.
Soiled dishes-her frailest china-were
piled up here and there through the
rooms. A large turkey platter with
a small dried-sp chop on 1t graced the
top of the gas stove. rubbing elbows,
as 1t were, with huge iron skillet in
which were the musty remains Of
some much-fried potatoes. Rusty
knives, forks and spoons lay in the
sink, with a pot o! half-oooked oat-
meal Two venerable fried eggs on
a saucer fianked on either side by bot
ties of soured cream, stood on one
window sill, while on the other was
the coffee pot full of grounds.
Mrs. Jack gazed for moment .
the scene. Then she dried her tea.
and, holding her skirts high above tn.
greasy floor, walked out of the kitchen
and into her own room-the only spo
in the house which as yet had been
brought into semi-order. She donned
her freshest and most becoming frock
and going out Of the house locked the
door on what seemed to her a reign
of terror and confusion and presented
herself at her husbands Office in time
to go to lunch with him.
Have you got everything straighs
ened out already?" he asked, with ,
smile. You found things shipshapef
"Shipshape!" repeated Mrs. Jacl,
sarcastically. The ship must have
been struck by typhoon."
II suppose 1t was little mussy.
really meant to go around there yes
terday and fix things up"
60 around there! What do yos
mean?"
WELL you see." answered Jack,
looking for the first time embarrassed
'after l had slept in all the beds and
got a good many of the dishes dirty
thought the best thing to do was to
move over to the club, so l stayed In
| the house only three days after yor
left"
"Oh!" was Mrs. Jacks only audible
comment, but rs she looked at Jacl
she said to herself that he was moi
-aativ an thin and tired AZ abe had ~