The Democratic advocate., 1909-12-17
THE RECONCILIATION

Inere IS q young couple III IllS
town living in a mighty comforta-
bic little fiat who scrap every little
while. This is not to say that he
hits her with a chair or that she
attempts to scratch his face They
Just hurl the usual marital bandage
at each other. It's the things that
happen after their scraps that are
a little bit out of the usual.
Every time there is a scrap she
Just packs up her duds and goes
right back to the home Of her ma
NINA. who lives in the Branx.
While she Is gone he holds down the
fat and awaits developments The
Developments are always just about
the same.
That is to say, sooner or later, 1t
may be after week or ten days,
his wife drops into the fiat to see
how things are going. just so.
Not to visit him, of course. just to
see how things are going.
He is sitting back in his easy
chair some evening after dinner,
mighty blue and down in the mouth
and lonesome, trying to read a
book that's held upside down and
wondering what the uso, anyhow
when the apartment bell tinllles.
BY this time the old black flat maid
has gone home and he is there by
himself. rs rather dark in the in
side hall, and when he opens the
door he doesn t see who is there.
So he asks.
cts me-" the familiar voice
says. !,
"Well, you know the way in,
says he, striving to give his voice
an indifferent tone She enters.
ooh. no, she came around all
right knew dad-blamed wei
she would, although she swore she q
never set foot in this place agar
as long as she lived and breathed,
he says to himself, sort of gloating
ly. At that. if she hadn I showI
up, believe | wouldn 7 have helc
out much longer than tonight; ; {
telephoned her as sure as shooting
and asked her to drop down. Glat
she beat me to it, though-minx
sure am glad she came and h
pretends to look rather bored.
He doesn' I take her in his arm
and hand her the greeting tina
would be part of the routine if
scrap were not in progress. Sh
doesn I offer her face to be kissed
either. In fact, they re both tire
mendously dignifed about it all.
Il just dropped in to see if tn
canary was being taken care OF,
she says. passing through the haI
and into the little dining room
where the cage hangs.
"That so ?" says he, rather frie
idly. "Bird s all o. X. Slick a
n whistle. ] feed the beggar an
change his drinking water ever
night myself =
"Oh, do you 20 she asks hin
vaguely, and then she sits down o
the edge of dining room cha
with all her wraps on. She hi
bcr swell scenery on, too, and looi
as she s all fixed up to make a hit
with her husband
kind o warm in here
says. still carelessly. Thin
you'd better lay off your coat f
n minute or so ? Presume you
hang around for a while -
"Oh, for a very little while,
she replies, somewhat airily, but
moving her wrap and hat, wher
upon he notices that her hair is Il
ed mighty prettily. GIVE got
get back TO mamma 3. Some fol
are coming to play cards or son
thing this evening.
"Uh-huh, F" says he, and the
during the ensuing silence, he g
and fills his pipe.
IDtiltI IOHlt III iiNAN w '
den," he says, and she follows h
into his tiny smoking room, loo
ing intensely bored
why, look at the ashes scatt
ed around everywhere T! It's
wonder 'Melia wouldn't clean
in here once in while. Why dol
you mention it to herr" she says
him.
"Oh, it's good enough" " he
plies, lighting his pipe. "Asl
don't bother me. ] don't ]
'Melia fussing around in here al
how"
She trips out of the den prese
ly and goes to his chiffonier and
gins to wade through his collect
of socks. She picks up an arm
of them, gets out the gourd and
darning gear, returns to the
where he is smoking his pipe "
apparently the serenest indifl
ence in the world, and begins
darn.
Somebody's got to do it"
says, stiffiy, sort of apologizing
the stunt. "You can't go walk
around the streets with holes in
as-big as9all ontdoors.2s
eFi1 He nocsn't say anything,
keeps on smoking M
How's Bug ~ he asks her p
antlv referrino tn fhe bull !