Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1909-01-01
TIE TIT. PENDULUMI
By o. HENRY.

~ ~ ntlQ ia DIuc-
A flock of citizen sheer
scrambled out and another foch
scrambled aboard Ding-ding, The
cattle cars of the Manhattan elevated
ratified away, aud John Perkins drift
ed down the stairway of the station
with the released flock.
John walked slowly toward his fat
Slowly, because in the lexicon of his
daily life there was no such word as
perhaps" There are no surprises
awaiting IA man who has been married
two years and lives in a fiat. AS he
walked John Perkins prophesied TO
! himself with gloomy and downtrodden
/ cynicism the foregone conclusions of
/ the monotODous day.
/ Katy would meet him at the door
with a kiss favored with cold cream
land butter scotch. He would remove
his coat. sit upon macadamized
lounge and read in the evening paper
Of Russians and Japs slaughtered by
the deadly linotype. For dinner there
would be pot roast, a salad favored
with a dressing warranted not to crack
VI INT clCnGA lAuDell "
and the bottle of strawberry MARINA
lade 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 off the end of his
four-in-hand. At half past Z they
would spread newspapers over the fur
nit To, FOL, NO Of r.fn ofir,
that fell when the fat man in the fat
overhead began to take his physical
culture exercises. Exactly at Hickey
and Mooney of the vaudeville team
(unbooked in the fiat across the hall
would yield to the gentle influence Of
delirium tremens and begin to over
turn chairs under the delusion that
Hammerstein was pursuing them with
a five 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
to frolic in the highways; the dumb
waiter would slip off its trolley; the
janitor would drive Mrs Zanowitskis
Eve children once more across the
44lus INT 4a4f VIII the EuAtll
shoes and the skye terrier would trip
downstairs and paste her Thursday
name over her bell and letter box. and
the evening routine of the Frogmore
flats would be under way.
John Perkins knew these things
would happen. And he knew that at
quarter past he would summon his
nerve and reach for his hat and that
his wife would deliver this speech in
a querulous tone:
Now. where are you going. I'd like
to know. John Perkins?"
Thought Id drop up to McClos
keys" he would answer. land play a
game or two of pool with the fellows"
OF late such had been John Perkins
Sometimes Katy would he 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 at the bar of justice with his
victims from the Frogmore flats
1Outeul JOl-Al cl Ills euCOunleltu Il
upheaval of the common |
place when he reached his door. No /
Katy was there with her affectiOnate, /
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. kimonOs. powder
box. iumbled together on dresser and
,hairs--this was not Katy's way. With
l sinking heart John saw the comb
with ? curling cloud of her brown hair
among its teeth. Some unusual hurry
Ind perturbation must have possessed
Ter. for she always carefully placed
hese combings in the littia blue vase
IN the mantle to be some day formed
nto the coveted feminine rat"
Hanging conspicuouSly to the gas jet
~ Il string was Il folded paper John
seized it. 1t was Il note from his wife
unning thus:
Dear John-I just had telegram say
ng mother is very sick. I am going to
axe the 4S0 train Brother sam is GO
ng to meet me at the depot there. There
S cold mutton in the ice box. I hope it
sn her quincy again. Pay the mikman
0 cents. She had it bad last spring
Don't forget to write to Ike company
bout the gas meter. and your good socks
re in the top drawer. | will write to-
morrow. Hastily. KATY.
Never during their two years of
latrimony had he and Katy been sep
rated for night. John read the note
yer and over in a dumfounded way
lere was a break in a routine that
ad never varied. and it left him dazed.
There on the back of a chair hung. ,
empty and formless. the $
ed wrapper with black dots that she
ways wore while getting the meals
Ter week day clothes had been tossed ,
ere and there in her haste. A little 6
lper bag of her favorite butter scotch /,
y with its string yet unwound. A s
ally paper sprawled on the floor. gap !
e rectangularly where a railroad
me table had been clipped from it. f
verything in the room spoke of T
IS of an essence gone. of its soul +,
Id life departed. John Perkins stood +
nong the dead remains with a queer :