The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-03-06

COdAluS dGSCutS. NCIuL uAuS AutO thC
house, l caught my foot on the door.
mat, and exclaimed:
"Drat that mat"
"What was that, George?" asked
Alicia, unexpectedly putting her dear
little face, all rosy and expectant,
round our sitting room door. "What
was that you said %
81 said, oh, that mat !''
"Ohp' said Alicia, looking openly
disappointed.
She went back into the sitting
room, while I stayed In the kitchen
and treated myself to long and happy
smile.
eff there's one thing I like" said
Alicia, the next morning, ''it's man
that speaks his mind -
So saying, she busted her windmill
bank with spirit and put it back upon
its shelf. shaking it surreptitiously as
she did so, and signing at the silence
that ensued.
That night, I hit my elbow against
the hall rack, Immediately giving ut
terance to the penalized word-and
beaming in the darkness as did SO.
A glad, answering cry responded
from the kitchen, and the next mo-
ment Alicia came running forward
with her bank in her hand. I drop
ped the quarter in it, and she made
merry over my discomfture-her dear
little face all rosy and eager-I gave
her the first good one that we had en-
joyed for many day, and soon after
marched upon the dining room like
giant refreshed.
I grew even more indulgent, spur
red on to greater efforts by the sight
of Alicia's rosy little face, as she
waited for the word to drop, and by
Alicia's joyful cry whenever she came
running forward with the bank. All
the time her severity of dress gradu-
ally lessened, until one night came
home and found her in the fufiest
dress, with her hair done as Alicia
knows how to do it, and in such a
state of distraction that only after
dinner was over, and when Alicia was
feeding the pets, did I notice, with
blinking of my eyes, that Peter had
come home again. He was eating off
the same plate with Fido, and look
ing like repentant cat who would
never more irritate dogs by stealing
ing their meat and then washing him
self behind the ears.
"Ah-h |" sighed Alicia.
The pets, still at their plate, drop
ped their tails a degree or two in
sympathy, but went on with their
dinner.
"Club day tomorrow. said Alicia.
With motion of despair, she took
her bank from the shelf, emptied it
on the cloth, and counted eight dol
lars and eighty. eight cents.
"Thirty five words at a quarter
each," rnurmured Alicia, ,distractedly,
''and thirteen cents for the one you
checked in the middle"
She arranged the money with a
listless hand, and
"Ah-h-h !" she sighed again. ''I
saw the loveliest hat at the milliner's
today 1t was nine dollars. And
here is all but twelve cents p
Whereat hugged myself in secret,
but outwardly maintained that gravity
of demeanor which seemed appro-
pirate to Alicia's state of mind.
She rearranged the money in neat
little piles, while Fido lay down at
his ease and smiled at the company,
and Peter, springing up on his chair
and tucking his paws beneath his
breast, closed his eyes and started his
evening song.
II don't know what to do p whisp-
cred Alicia.
And as for me, 1 said nothing in
grand manner.
"Of course" she unused, "of course
l could resign" And musing still,
she breathed, "It was an awfully
pretty hat p
And as for me, I crossed my slip
pered feet.
George" exclaimed Alicia, tax
ing my movement as suggestion,
"I've good mind to resign Shall
l, George? George, shall 2"
"Resign from what?" asked, all
innocence.
"From the Society for the Suppress
sion of Slang" confessed Alicia, sud-
denly looking guilty.
And there we were the louder I
laughed, the guiltier Alicia looked
and the guiltier Alicia looked the
louder I laughed and the louder I
laughed the more contentedly did
Fido smile at the company and the
tighter did Peter close his eyes as he
sang his evening song; until Alicia,
seeking to stife my mirth, brought
one of her heels down accidently upon
my foot. Whereat I cried, although
in the most gentle of voices:
couch ~
"Did step on your foot, George?"
asked Alicia. "Did n"
And hiding her rosy little face
again, she murmured:
"Of course, George-if you want
to check another one in the middle"
Tile Companion.