The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-10

| AS she opened the cellar door. imagjna
her CONSERVATION and surprise as she saw
every blessed thing that she had SO beau
tifully arranged a few days before in or
derly fashion, on various shelves and ia
| bies and trunks-old garments cast off
shoes, half broken toys that belonged to
the children, aats and bonnets, wells AID
irocks, and heaven knows what else--but
,iiihSs that are deat er to Il Woman's heart
than almost anything else in the world
except her pet. deg or her canary, was
gone.
Mrs. Henpeck with her own hands and
the assistance of The maids and the butler
mad burned all tie useless things and
carefully arranged all those that she
wanted to keep.
Inc several bundles that she had fixed
UP Tor charity workers. to come and call
Tor We're gone.
III lact' everything but the walls OF the
aei'ai ana the trunks were gone
Gone We're the piles of papers and mag
azines which she had filled two splendid
boxes with for the Salvation Army to
come for Monday morning.
Gone were the old ''rubbers'' which a sad
eyed Old lady always came for at the end
of the winter to sell to Junk dealer
Gone We're the old parasols and umlreI-
las which decrepit old man, an heirloom
almost in Mrs Henpeck's category OF de-
pendents, always came for twice a year.
Gone was everything, and Mr. Hen
IeclS had done the deed
Mrs Henpeck could have cried II she
hadn't been so eNasperated
She went back upstairs and shortly Mt
erward some friends. who were calling.
were regaled with Mr. Henpeck's sudden
desire to join the 'cIean city crusade"
and the experiences of the morning were
related by Mrs. Hcnpeck over a delicious
glass of iced lemonade with her guests
THE thing to do" said one of the men
IN the party, is 20 see that the outside of
the house. the front and back yard ard
the garden are kept in proper condition
and leave the inside of the house to thu
women. Now, l propose, Mr.. Henpeck.
tnat you and / get the men in our block
together tomorrow and see that the weeds
are cut, and the trees are clipped AMI
the sidewalks are cleaned and the alleys
and back yards are rid of their filth and
dirt and help the clean up city crusade in
that way. That's what the street COM
missioner means for the men to do in this
movement"
Mr. Henpeck said not word, but mute
y acquiesced in the suggestion of his
neighbor to cut the grass, and clean up
the alley and polish up the pavement
blocks as brightly as the handle on the big
front door.
Monday morning when "Uncle Ben" the
old gray haired darkey, the man of all
work at the Henpeck's. came to do his
weekly chores, Mr.. Henpeck waylaid him
and suggested that he haul off all the
piles and stacks of old rubbish tha, he
(Mr. Henpecl) had thrown out in tho
yard for the cellar.
However
Before Uncle Ben" had time to carry
out Mr.. Henpecks plans, Mrs. Henpeck
came in for her 'nning''
Uncle Ben," said she, Gust tie your
horse and wagon and come inside and
move all those piles of things back into
the cellar"
Once inside the door, Mrs. Henpeck and
Uncle Ben began to sort out the differ
ent things which Mr. Henpeck had dubbed
rubbish"
The clothes were again stacked up ON
the tables, the newspapers and magazines
were arranged for the Salvation Army
wagon, the old rubbers'' and parascls
laid away for the old man and the old
woman. and everything was again in ZAP
pie pie" order.
After all the rear-anging there remained
a few old broken jars, some old chairs.
the remnants of wlat had been the cssil-
dren's Christmas tree, and few other
odds and ends, and these were put in
heap and burned.
Then Mrs. Henpeck began to undo Ire
work in the back yard that Mr. Henpeck
had done, and before lunch that day she
had things going lretty well again. and
quite to her satisfaction.
She paid "Uncle Ben" IS cents out of her
market money to rectify what Mr..
Henpeck had done. and now she's Won
dering just how she'll get even with him
about that 70 cents.
Mrs. Henpeck is an optimist pure and
simple, let me say, en- passant, and
shouldn't wonder If some fine morning
when Mr.. HenpeclS was looking for some
of his old clothes to go fishing in he
wouldn't find that Mrs. Henpeck had sold
them, in order to get back her 70 cents.
which Mr.. Henpeck was entirely RESPONSE
BILE for her squandering, by not attending
to his own business.