The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-03

fore and had been one of the victims
when the policemen made their swoop.
The brother was "a kid wot alwus
woiked and his arrest would be hard
blow on the 'mudder,' who hadn't yet
been told anything about it.
"aThat's a swell bunch of humbug,
my husband growled ut the boy. Here,
you sit down here in the kitchen ana
I'll find out about this. II you've been
trying to string me, III come preees
near dancing you in way that you
won't like and then he went TO the
telephone and called up McGoolgan'
the district leader.
"McGooligan told him to wait MN
ute while he called up the police sta
ton, and presently the district leaoel
called up my husband again. Then my
husband shot back to the Kitchen
where the dismal looking Ice cream BOY
still sat, wiping away at his eyes Win
his cap.
Here, you,' my husband said to the
how that kid brother of yours has peeh
turned loose and Is on his way nome.
Now, you beat 1t and get on the 9op
again; understand? ! won't have you
fred for fetching me mess OF ice
cream fifteen or twenty hours late TINS
time, but II you ever pull anything iihe
that on me again. and the rest VI
IL was somewhat inarticulate.
whenever he gets caught in the act
of doing something real nice ana KIM
he always talks all the louder and WIN
an additional imitation of wrath IN oraci
to make out that his position mas pesi
right from the beginning and tnat ne
hasn't receded fraction of an 1nch from
1t. And the pathetic part of 1t is mat
the poor ridiculous things never kho"
how absurd they are, do theyf
Last spring" put in anothersof the
women 1--WE lost a whole two weeks
washing because scarlet fever oroke OUT
among the grandchildren of Maggie, the
washerwoman we've had for more thah
eight years. Maggie's daughter, with tne
children, lived with her. and when the
disease broke out the house was auaran-
tined. and my fine two weeks wash was
fumiaated of course and ruined in the
process. and we wouldn't have taken IL
back anyway; and 1t WAS q dreadful cal.
amity. too, for it just happened that q
put a lot OF my trousseau things tnat q
kept packed away-saving them Tor
years-into the wash that week; ana
there was the whole wash a compete
loss.
"Reallv. it makes me shudder even to
think of the way my husband carried on
when we heard about it. Maggie told me
about it over the telephone, and / could
hear her crying as she told me.
my husband was perfectly unreason-
able He roared at me for not knowing
that Maggies grandchildren were going
to have the scarlet fever; roared at me
for not having fired Maggie years and
years ago on general principles, despite
her excellence as a laundress; shouted at
me for having put my trousseau things
in the wash instead OF sending them TO
the laundry, and Just went on something
frightful.
Couldn't See 1t That Way.
81 told him that it was a thing that
couldn't be helped. and that really l
hated to lose Maggie as a washerwoman
after having had her so long.
" Look a-here, dye mean to stand and
tell me that you'd have that-that rob-
beress again to do your cothes-and my
clothes, too? Never forget that I've got
to wear some of the washing! Dye mean
to tell me that you'd have her back
again after the deal she's handed out 10
u.s.?
II told him as soothingly as 1 could
that really Maggie hadn't been to blame;
that, on the contrary, she had been the
victim OF exceedingly bad luck. He only
emitted hoarse noises in his throat when
tried to put the matter in that light
and rushed out to his lodge meeting.
About six weeks later Maggie called
on me one afternoon. The poor old thing
looked very disheartened and miserable.
| She didn't ask to be given our washing
| again; she only came to see me and to
| explain things But / gave her the wash
! ing all the same.
| II told my husband when he got home
! that evening that Maggie had been to
| see me, but / didn't mention anything
| about having given her the washing again
l told him how badly she looked and all
| that.
"'D'je give her the washing?" he ask
| ed me.
AFTER what you said about that?' l
replied noncommittally.
".Well, I'm ashamed of you. that's
what l am he said to me in that more
| in sorrow than in anger tone that men
know how to use I didn't think 1t of
you; on the level 1 didn't. A poor old
| granny of a woman that's been working
for you for hundred years or so and
with hull flock of grandchildren, and
just because the kids happen to get a
little something the matter with EN-
why, you-oh, shucks! I didn't think 1t
of you, honest.
What do you suppose happened then?
Why, told him that I had given Maggie
i the washing after all, and didn't he Jaw
and fuss at me for having done II with
out asking him first? Yes, he did; but
he didn't mean 1t of course. 1t was only
his way-the mans way-of trying to
square himself for having done something
nice. Now. aren't men the kinky ones?"
1t was unanimously agreed that men
were and that seemed to settle IT.