Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-22
DAILY NOVELETTE,
CONQUERING JONAS
By Louise M. Addison


MRS. BROWN was very much pur-
A'l turbed. The jar in the pantry,
which only yesterday had contained de-
licious blackberry jam. was disappoint-
ingly empty. Somebody was guilty, and
and the guilt pointed in one direction,
namely, Jonas, the hired man. Mr..
Brown ate only moderately of jam, and
that at table. Jonas ate very i'm
moderately, at any time or place op-
portunfty offered. And sometimes he
didn't wait for opportunity to offer it..
He simply took it without an invita-
ton. Since his arrival it had been
found necessary to put a lock on the
jam closet. Not that the Browns were
stingy, but Mrs. Browns cooking was
the pride of the community, the con-
cocting of the jams thoroughly hard
work, and with sugar scarce and ex-
pensive the finished article was a thing
to be priced and guarded. 1t irked Mrs.
Brown that a man should so far forget
himself as to crafty his stomach at the
expense Of health and decency.
She mournfully stated the case to her
husband when he came home to din =
| ner.
''The cheapness Of him! To steal
into the pantry at night and gorge him
self with almost an entire jar Of my
best blackberry preserve! He doesn' t
turn on the light, either, or I would
have caught him at it. Imagine eating
preserves in the dark after everybody
else has gone to bed ~
Mr.. Brown thoughtfully scratched his
head. He was sorry about the pre-
serves, but farm labor was hard to OBJ
tain and difficult to keep. Moreover,
its feelings were sensitive and easily
outraged. 1t was matter requiring
good deal Of diplomacy.
"I'll think it over during the after
noon and see what can be done.'
Mrs. Brown shifted contemptuously.
| She put very little faith in her hus-
bands promises.
But when the farm work was COM
pleted that evening and Jonas had gone
for walk to the village she was sur
prised to find that her husband had
actually formulated plan, several
points of which he refused to divulge
to his better half. He was so secre-
tive, in fact, that Mrs. Brown was
jumpy with curiosity before the even
ing was half over. He made mys-
| terious visit to the barn, emerging
therefrom with something that closely
resembled preserve jar, which he care
fully placed in the pantry near the win
dow which faced the maple tree out
side.
''Now,' he said, in answer to his
wife's questioning glance, "you and
are going to sit on the bench under the
maple tree, where we can get a good
glimpse of what is going on in the pan
try, until Jonas comes home. He won't
be long now. Wen see him all right
from where we sit, but he won't be
able to see us. And / bet there won't
be any more jam eaten in the dark
Mrs. Brown didn't know what it was
all about, but she agreed anyhow
Whatever was coming was a novelty,
and novelties were rare on the farm.
So they took their places beneath the
maple and refreshed themselves in
the cool breeze of the evening. Jonas,
the Browns hired man, had passed a
pleasant couple of hours. He had been
to the village, taken stroll with a
very pretty girl, who had smiled at
him, and graciously allowed him to
treat her to an ice cream soda. And his
spirits were high. He whistled gayly
until he approached the farm house,
when he gradually Gained the exuber
ance of his spirits, and quieted the thud
of his none too gentle footsteps. Be
fore stepping on the veranda he took
the precaution to take off his shoes. He
did not wish to awaken the Browns,
particularly as there might be a jar
of those unequaled preserves in the
pantry. He CROPPED his way IN. Yes,
there it stood, near the window.
"Glory!" said Jonas, and again he
repeated to himself, "GIory." He
looked around for a spoon and found it.
"Glory' he said again in a loud
whisper. He dished out a generous
spoonful, and put it to MS mouth.
The next minute he spat it out with
shuddering groan. The spoon fell
down, while Jonas felt of his stomach
to see if it were there or had gone
on a short vacation. A dose of water
from the kitchen sink somewhat re-
yiyed him. but it was faint and
nauseated Jonas, nevertheless, who, a
half hour later, made his weary and
cautious way upstairs to bed, while
outside Mrs. Brown looked accusingly
at her husband in the dark.
George Brown, what did you put in
that Jar? For all ! know
Don't worry. The stuff he was
glorying over was merely the best brand
of axle grease"