Putnam patriot., 1909-07-02


 Inf angry. don't you ever marry an .I.seutnIinded man. 4 man that Is ai- w.Fs thinking of something else like ,i,.,f Dig bu>islnd of mine. may be won- 5srfijtIv .oud at his profession, be- .sasa that's what he's always think inr about. but he is surely q domestic trlal al times"
 Mrs Murray laughed. her i'll nature hsvine evaporated completely under ,s.. heat of her little outburst Her visItor. Susan Harland. laughed with ber for pr. Murray's wonderful feats in his its Sf abstraction were fahous.
 -Why. Sue.- continued Mrs. Murray. ,sn5hiug gayly at the recollection. do yeu remember when l had that touch of rheumatic fever? One night when I was burning with thirst l woke John and said 10 him. John. if you don't get ne drink of water quick 1 don't know that I'll live till morning.
 He got up. sort of dazed. walked over 10 the mantelpieee and came back to nle holding out an empty vase. 1 wanted | drink Of water that much that hung on to my patience until he was wide awake and knew what 1 was talking about Then he went to ,,,s refrigeration and came back with glass brimming full of good cold wa fer But. if you will believe il. Sue, he just stood there looking at me. and before could say a word that man drank every drop of that water him. self with ne giaring holes through him. I declare il makes me angry to this day.
 Mrs Murray ran to the foot of the stairs and called out: Hurry up, now. John. Sue and l are both waiting. You will find your evening clothes laid out for you in the bedroom. and there isut any time to lose"
 Miss sue and Mrs John sat down to talk They exhausted their store of new gossip affer awhile and began to 6dsef. "Goodness." said Mrs. Murray at last. looking at her watch, that man must have done something foel- fsh. Ii cant be taking him all this time 10 dress,'
 Br. John had done nothing foolish. He had done something rather wise. He was sound asleep in bed.
 Miss Sue overheard some very active and excited conversation carried on exclusively by Mrs. Murray. At last the deep bass of her husband resound- ed My dear" said pr. John. don't you know anything about the wonder fully powerful control that habit has over all the species of the animal king dom? When began to undress wasn't il natural for me to keep right on and get into bed? Of course it was"
 No. Sue: don't you eyer marry an ahsentminded man. said Mrs Murray last. with Dr. John safely opposite them
 As long as he isn't too absentmiDd- ed to attend the wedding. Sue" chuc- kled pr John. you take him, provided his name is Dick Kendall.
 Sue was glad that the darkness hid her bushes.
 Dick is going to do something great in chemistry. do believe" said Dr. John There's his compound of phos- pho,'-
 A wife wants something besides your old phosphates and other i'll smell ing things" said Mrs. Murray. .Dick Kendall is as bad as you are. He's just as likely as not to come to the dance tonight with his old laboratory coat on''
 Dick Kendall did not fulfill Mrs. Murray's dark prophecy literally. but he did so in effect. It is true that he was soberly and blamelessly clad in his evening clothes. being correctly at- tired even to the tie. but the tout en- semble was somewhat marred by the sad fact that he had a patent leather pump on one foot and a bright russet shoe on the other.
 Sue blushed. and then she flushed. and then she grew angry as the titters and smiles ran around the room when unconscious Dick hurried forward to meet her
 She was not young woman given to eXaggerate triaes. but she was not a stuie philosopher either. No doubt 1t Is a small thing to have ones evening peasare marred a bit. but it seems un- iuly important at the time.
 luekless Dick was doomed to fur thef disgrace He had barely repaired the disaster of the shoes by sending EesSenger posthaste to his home for the other pump when something worse happened.
 lHring a waltz. when Miss Sue was bis partner. somebody brushed against Dick There was a sharp cracking Of iroken glass. and the next instant the couple was wrea thed in beautiful vio- iet smoke that gradually filled the foom
 Nobody had leisure or desire to oD- serye the beauty of It's color though II was so instantly suffocating that there was mad, wild rush for doors ahd French windows
 The accident filled Sues cup. and 1t hrimlBed over-only a little. but too much In her anger she stamped her Cot and cried: "Dick Kendall. your observation-disclosures apparently extends only to me and not to your profession. II is plain that you care more for chemistry than for me. and it would be thousand pities to disturb your devofion.~
 She stripped the ring from her finger, and he took it in bewildered silence. Before be could reply she had turned ner bas'k and the next moment was vakinc up the corridor with Dicks ssef axersiafs. Char1s siagfe. whom eterY bsdy sai.ta flse ua'slel Maui. lh api deSeripfIoM Df hls igsrnfas equip