The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-03
TIE EVENING STORY
Little PoIIy's Cali.
(By Carl Jenkins

moses sort OF woman ana many
times, with her hand in his, the to-be
bride declared that she preferred an
aggressive husband to henpeck-one
who would state his opinions and stick
to them.
Married life went off happily for six
months. There was no occasion for a
display of temper or aggressiveness.
What the husband liked or thought the
wife liked and thought, and vice versa.
Then came the fatal day. Stephen
returned home from the Office one
evening with q. cloud on his brow, and
he put his young wife aside to ex
claim:
Yes, it's that wretched old clock!
It is off time. For two mornings now
have been ten minutes late in reach
ing the office, and this morning the
manager spoke to me about it,
why, that clock is one of our we'd
ding presents" replied the wife.
Yes it came from your cousin
Dick. He was after a cheap clock, and
he got it. Only six months, and here
| it is webbing like a loose wheel on a
wagon"
But I'm sure Dick paid good
price for it,"
Then he was an easy mark
stephen, don't talk that way The
clock is new and perhaps it needs
oiling."
4 tell you the clock is a cheap
skate!"
And I say it is a fine timepiecey'
"Lisle, you are talking to your huS-
band!"
And you are talking to your wife,"
The first family difference was on.
Nothing whatever allied the clock.
The trouble had been with the street
car. It had been blocked both morn
ipgs at a crossing, and the husband,
reading his paper, had failed to take
notice of the passage of time. There
stood the time piece on the mantel,
ticking away with merry sound, and
a jeweler would have Datted it on the
back for its reliability. And there stood
husband and wife. she having a red
spot on either cheek to show that her
temper was up-that temper that he
admired-and he with his jaw set and
a determined look on his face.
VERY WE'LL" he said at last, as he
turned away.
do you mean the cIock?" she
asked.
NO, I don't! I mean that there will
be no need of our addressing each
other in the future. We will not create
a scandal by separating, but until you
can learn to control your temper you
need not speak to me-
And how about your bossy way?
Do you think married you to go
about eating humble pie?'
The evening meal was ready, and
both sat down to it. The young wife
was doing her own homework, and
doing it we'll. In ten minutes the hus-
band was ready to acknowledge that
the clock was all right, and Dick was
ali right and the wife was ready to
quarter of an hour off time, and that
her cousin Dick was no clock buyer,
but there was an agreement not to
speak.
When the table had been cleared
the wife sat down to her piano-a
NJ 10 STanhan
smoked a cigar and read the evening
paper. He wanted to say that the
tone of the piano was punk, and she
wanted to say that his cigars were
certainly two for five, but how can
husband and wife speak after they
have agreed not to? They can't even
pay need to the row in the fiat above,
the fire engines galloping by, or the
rumble of thunder shaking the house.
Stephen got off next morning in
good time, but he departed without
even a nod. No nod for him. When
he came home he entered his house
like a stranger. He found his wife
humming the air to gay song, and
be began to whistle the air of an
other to match. Another silent meal!
At it's conclusion he took pencil and
pad from his pocket and wrote:
Il should like pork chops for break
fast
The wife read the message passed to
her. and then took the pencil and
wrote:
q prefer sausages.''
That settled it. She was still OBJ
stinate, and Stephens jaw was set
again He felt that he had made an
advance toward a reconciliation and
had been turned down, and he lay
back on his dignity.
There was neither sausages nor pork
cho2s for breakfast. That day was a
long and lonesome one. The husband
came home prepared to say that he
had had a great offer to go on a north
pole discovery expedition and should
accept it. and the wife had resolved
to remark, if opportunity offered, that
marriage had proven a failure and she
would go back to school teaching.
They looked at each other as Stephen
hearts. There was to be no speaking.
In place of it, out came pad and pencil
and the husband wrote:
'I have Joined north pole expedi-
ton
It was read and the answer return
ed:
Il have decided to go to South At
RIGA as a missionary
Then he wrote:
IT shall be gone three years."
Then she answered:
And I shall be gone fourl"
The husband took q couple of min
utes to consider and to work up a sad
expr esSiOn, and then wrote:
1.-THE chances are ninety-nine in a
hundred that shall be frozen to death
within six monthsi''
The wife was about to write in re-
ply that she expected to be carried off
by African fever within fifteen minutes
of landing when there came a ring and
Doll 1-~f~ .,fl