| Show F Fb b r jY h a a a's s 1 MELISSA FR FREES ES HER MIND ABOUT ABOUT THE DEAR DEPARTED Mrs Mra maternal maiden aunt Jane found her bereaved niece still In her morning negligee although It was nearly ten It was a handsome cobwebby negligee with a abig abig big colored cherry bow at the throat to relieve Its more or less funereal black and Mrs looked wellIn well wellIn wellin In It it having a fair skin and a figure that was ump plump but not too plump There was a tray on a by Mrs 1 chair and on the tray were the mangled remains of ot two lamb chops and some crusts of toast which with an empty chocolate pot and milk pitcher seemed to Indicate that grief griet for the departed Mr 11 Mer- Mer had not destroyed destro ed tho the appetite of If OJ his sorrowing relict My poor darling exclaimed Aunt Jane lane fervidly Mrs removed her very neatly neatly neat neat- ly Iy ankles from tho the elevation of a sUJ supplementary chair 2nd d arose In time to meet her relatives relative's sympathetic sympathetic sympathetic rush and tackle Auntie she saId paid extricating herself gently Im Ima a awfully glad to see you ou but please dont don't cry cryan on me I catch cold so easily ily Take off your things dearie and have bave some breakfast and titan then tell me where It hurts Here Ill I'll help you With a few competent jerks the le e young Oung woman divested her guest of her hat and wraps which she tossed onto a n. davenport No Now Nolor tor lor A r the eats she said pressing tha th buzzer beneath not knocking knocking anybody you know Auntie I el always understood that he was kind remarked very to you Melissa Aunt Jane He was assented Mrs He never even offered to beat me He Ho Housed used to think he had a n. talent for sar ear sarcasm sarcasm calm poor man and I suppose bo ho imagined imagined im that he was stabbing mo me In all kinds of tender spots when he talked about the way I managed the house and spent his hard-earned hard money but buthe buthe he be meant to be kind All lie wanted to do was to show shoe me what a silly careless vain criminally extravagant extravagant gant creature I was so 60 that I could reform re reo form And I could always get money from him by going through his pockets pockets pock pock- ets when he was asleep bless him Really and truly he wasn't hard to manage and I 1 certainly miss him Poor Henry I uI should think you Jou would miss him said Aunt Jane rather severely He snored a great deal and I miss that sighed Mrs He eHe was what you might call a regular and rhythmic Henry was vas and it had a lulling effect after I 1 got used to it Now Ive I've got to get accustomed to the tho quiet and lying bed a-bed as long as I want to Theres There's so much in habit babit auntie and that's one of the tho blessed compensations of married life You never saw Henry and that picture I sent you didn't show the wen on his nose The photographer retouched It out along with the wrinkles but It was wa's an awfully big wen and I 1 couldn't j ti y I I I 4 r i err f I f 1 1 11 I AUNTIE WHY THE PEARLY DROPS i he be table Youve had your breakfast breakfast break break- fast rast of or course which means a wing if ht the chicken left leCt over from yester- yester tays tay's shoe-box shoe with a sliver of dill pickle and a slice of or stale bread and butter Perhaps you had a cup of coffee coffee cof cof- fee feo at the station but I wouldn't bet high on it If It you are going to live with me and take care of me youve you've got to gradually accustom yours your your- s self ri to food food Sit down Auntie and lean back Dont Don't be afraid of breakIng breakIng breaking break- break Ing the chair Elsie this ElsIe this to the maid maid hustle hustle on somo some breakfast for aunt Jane Something good Well We'll lunch downtown Now Auntie please tell me why the pearly drops drops' Poor Mr 11 l said Aunt Jane with a sign SIgh Oh yes res I 1 see said Mrs You feel bad on his account Well It was a shame ho he had bad to go Still dearie you rou mustn't let it overcome you From what the minister said thero there cant can't be any doubt that he be is In a 3 better bette land and he be certainly had hada a great dt al of trouble in this Hes He's at rest now I didn't tell the girl whether you wanted tea or coffee Aunt Jane looked shocked Melissa Melis sa she exclaimed I dont don't believe you are a bit sorry Auntie dear said Mrs when poor Henry died I 1 assure you I 1 was the sorriest lad lady you ever saw but I 1 cant can't keep O on J being sorry for for- ever Its nearly three weeks ago now and the sharp edge is beginning to get worn of off a little with him you ou happy asked Aunt Jane sharply It depends on in what you ou call happy dearie Mrs explained When you talk about a happy marriage marriage marriage mar mar- it generally means that the high contracting parties wait walt until the hired girl Is back in the kitchen before before before be be- fore they begin to throw the queens- queens ware and that they dont don't call each other anything more venomous than my love in III public At that that Auntie dear the they m may y have their little differences differences dif di- dif dif- and and be bo conscious of at some slight shortcomings and weaknesses In one another I wont won't say that I wasn't happy with poor Henry but being with l Um im while he ho rea read the produce market market market mar mar- ket reports in the cosy winter even even- evenIngs Ings lags wasn't rapture nor yet ees acy not not ns S I understand the terms and aed andt t look took at It without shuddering at first I But nut I 1 got used to that too Just as I to the way he ate his soup This morning when I let the tho water run mn out of at the bathtub it almost brought tears to my eyes and Im I'm not a very I mental person as you know I wondered if you really loved him himI I when I got your our wedding announcements announcements announcements announce announce- ments Aunt Jane mused You didn't tell me much dear except about the bridesmaids and your dress but butI I hoped you did even if he was so much older than you He was only thirty years older older Mrs said and ev everybody told me that it was better to be an anold anold anold old mans man's darling than a young mans man's slave Of course some old men are arb better looking than others and dont don't have intermittent dyspepsia and a I chronic grouch But poor Henry h had d I his hia good points and its it's very sad to tobe tobe tobe be left a widow If it wasn't for beIng being belag be be- ing lag in comfortable circumstances and having nobody to tell me ine what I must do and what hat I 1 mustn't and being at liberty to enjoy myself as much as I 1 please I 1 expect Id I'd feel fee perfectly wretched But now Ive I've got sot a nice sweet chaperone and well we'll let poor Henry keep I on resting You'll have your our troubles Auntie There are three of them already and as soon as s I 1 emerge from my seclusion I 1 suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose there will be more m more re Melissa exclaimed Aunt Jane In tones of or horror yoU you don't dont don't mean meano to o tell lell me that you are thinking of oj marrying again already Mrs 1 l laughed Well see what they are like dearie she saidI saidI said I el dont don't expect to marry marly again but if I can find a man who's young and good looking and kind and generous and prosperous and clever with no bad habits I 1 may change my mind on one condition that asked Aunt Jane That I take a fancy to him replied Mrs Copyright 1912 b by W. W 0 Q O. Chapman |
