Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-02

had been removed from him.
She greeted him with hands on hips
and the usual opening:
He smiled upon her benignly, removed
his hat of straw, wiped his damp fore
head with nice fresh handkerchief and
gazed at her wordlessly.
Welt! she repeated.
Her idea. as, of course. you see. was
to "Wellt' him into beginning his reel
tative OF explanation and apology. That
| is the usual course. That was what al
opening Weir
This time nothing doing. He sat down
on a nice comfy rocker. crossed his legs
and looked at her benignly. with an ad-
mixture OF chipperiness.
You're a nice one, / must say" she
said then, seeing that the "Weil!" stun
hadn't worked.
He seemed to be pleased to hear that he
was nice one, but he had nothing to add
or detract from that observation OF hers.
On the contrary, he rose nmbly from the
comfy rocker, walked over TO the canary
! bird cage, pushed the bit of lettuce into
the cage little farther. resumed the
rocker-and said nothing.
Now, sir. what have you to say for
yourself. I'd like to know" she demand
ed, gouging her hands still farther into
her hips as she doomed over him menac-
ingly.
He didn't have anything to say for HIM
self or for anybody else. He jes' KEEP
still.
She studied him keenly for moment,
not, of course, penetrating the beauty and
the loneliness of his new system. II may
be that she thought that he was so
smeared with unrighteousness or some
thing that he was afraid to say anything.
However, he twiddled his thumbs, sup
a DOltteneSS,
recrossed his legs and studied the ceiling
ruminatingly.
II demand. SIR" she proceeded, in the
usual way of proceeding in such circum-
stances. that you inform me at once
what you have TO say for yourself.''
The demand was nix. He wasn't there
with the usual response. He was not
there with any response whatever.
Far from that he picked up the Stah-
yeah-pape. turned to the sporting page.
read about how many chickens ..iistuh
Johnsing at Reno had eaten the day pre-
cedng, and then yawned again. How
ever he did not emit anything whatever
in the way Of conversation.
She looked baff1ed. That, OF course. Was
the way he meant that she should look.
hut she didn't know that. She removed
her hands from her hips and rested one
palm upon the sitting room table while
she surveyed him critically.
do YOU mean to sit there and tell me
that you can stay away from home for
three whole days without Offering me
word of explanation" she demanded
SOME more, the sparks dartlng from her
eyes as though each eye had seen the
chimney of a nail factory.
Obviously, he didn't mean to sit there
and tell her that or anything else. On
the contrary. some blithe little air that
fingered in the back of his mind popped
to his teeth, and he leaned his head
back comfortably against the padding of
the rocker and whistled a few bars OF it
plaintively and with manifest enjoyment
of the tenderness of the little air.
Then she sat. down opposite him, and
began to uncoil the regular stuff
He listened with an agreeable but by
no means a defiant smile. He just smiled
naturally and pleasantly, but he did not
seem to hear He had heard before that
he was ruffian and brute; that ne
was going to pieces with great rapidly;
that he would land i'm the poorhouse;
that she didn't have the slightest inten-
ton on earth of landing in the poorhouse
with him: that he hadn't any more con-
sideration for folks than a dawg; that he
had a stone in his bosom instead of
heart, etc, etc.
On previous occasions. however. he had
denied these allegations and pointed
docility, generosity, sedateness and SO on.
And on the previous occasions aforesaid
all of his denials and things had been
precisely what she had wanted
Now. however, he seemed to notice as
she proceeded, that one OF the little
framed fancy pictures over on the OPP
posite wall had been blown crooked by
the wind or something. and so he got up
and, while she talked, he went over and
Strengthened the cunnin' little picture.
But, fellers. he didn't say one word.
She tired presentiy-much more presently
than on the old occasions when he'd
been imbecile enough to attempt to talk
the thing out with her. Yep. she tired.
She passed 1t up. receded like hustiing
and then he smiled again. yawn-
ed little bit more, and went upstairs
to bed without ever having said q word.
Result: Things were pretty nigh right
at breakfast next morning.
It's the system, believe your inform
ant. CLARENCE L. CULLEN.