Year: 1876

dropped the bottle of paste, which
fell in a little shattered heap at her
feet, making an additional blemish
on papa's carpet.


Mr.. Mimpbleuf had always reprov-
ed his wife for calling the children
mischievous, for he never saw any
thing at all wrong in their conduct
and congratulated himself that he
had the best behaved and most inter
esting family in the country.


Returning, he Immediately hurried
to the study, and was Mortified be-
yond expressio at the scene which
greeted him there. If his wife had
permitted such thing to happen he
would have scolded and stormed
around in fearful manner, until he
was quite certain he had made her
perfectly wretched, and heartily sorry
for ever having married such a great,
inconsiderate "bear" as himself


However, he viewed the disaster
with anything but pleasure, but be-
ing very much fatigued with the
mornings work, he did not feel equal
to the effort of chastising them, and
so let them off with feeble repri-
mand, and proceeded 20 distribute
the bread and cakes


Provide nee sent an old lady friend
around that afternoon, and leaving
the children in her care, he rushed
of, to the intelligence office and en-
gagged a recent importation from
Germany, whon. he brought home
with him in triumph.


Next morning he indulged in "a ci-
gar, and walked up street to ascer-
tain how affairs were progressing at
the office. On his way back he pur-
chased can of oysters, which he
presented TO Kathrina, asking, ~if
she knew how to cook them," to
which she replied Yah. yahl poll
dem in a stewl" and he seated him
self complacently to peruse a letter
from his "other SELF" Mrs. Mimp-
bleuf.


Il am having such a delightful
time, wrote his affinity, land do hope
that you are getting along nicely at
home; it will do you worlds of good
to rest from your labors, and know
you are enjoying it wonderfully"


Bolivy had tied a rope to one Of the
chairs, and as Kathrina was coming
in with the soup tureen, he jerked
it suddenly, tripping her up, and she
fell crashing into the room.


| Enraged at the boy, and scalded
by the hot soup, the girl declared her
intention of departing Immediately,
and forthwith did so. leaving Jere-
miah to dish up the dinner as best he
could.


After the meal was over he deter
mined to clean the carpet, which
was a new Brussels, purchased by his
wife only month before. Remem-
bering that Belina used "a scrubbing-
brush, soft-soap and ashes to take
the grease out of the kitchen floor,
he decided to try it in this instance.


Providing himself with a shovelful
of ashes. he spread it carefully over
the place where the soup had been
spilled, then he poured a quantity OF
soft-sOap and hot water on, and as
suming kneeling position, (the first
since his childhood), began to scrub.
Four square yards were coated over
with ashes, etc., whereas only small
portion of the carpet had been soiled
but he worked away bravely.


"What will Mrs. Mimpbleuf sayf"
groaned the miserable man at last,
as the more he rubbed the worse it
looked. perhaps bucket Of cold
water dashed over will improve it."
he sighed


Limping into the kitchen, and hunt
ing for tin pail, he recollected that
he had used it to hold the milk the
evening previous, all the pans being
dirty, and he could not find any dish
in the closet now, large enough to
contain it, so all that remained to be
done was to pour it into one of the
washbowls, and let it go. Passing
the stove, his dressing gown came in
contact with a heavy skillet, which
came down maliciously upon his
corns. and sent him prancing about
the room in an agony of pain, gnash
ing his teeth and pulling his hair in
frenzy.


Just then the door bell rang, and
he went to answer it. He was horri-
fled to see Miss Roseline Summers, a
young lady whom he had always held
up to his wife as an example of ami
ability and neatness. She started in
astonishment at the distressed
looking object that stood before her
bowling and trying to appear as
possible under the circumstances.


He blushed confusedly at her sur
prise, being painfully conscious that
his face and clothes were despatched