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Show WHAT IS A HOME WITHOUT A MOTHER? "What is a home without a mother?' Well, it is pretty likely to be a rather lively place if it chances to number within its sacred precincts four or five small children. It is not good for man to be alone, under such circumstances - that is, not for any great length of time. Revenge is sweet and if the mother is off on a visit she has plenty of it. Very likely the man who was in the habit of thinking the woman had rather an easy time of it. He had never noticed that there was ever any confusion in the domestic arrangement - the meals came on time, the children were kept in presentable shape, the house had an orderly appearance, and some way or other matters at home seemed to skip along naturally and in order. A kind husband, under such circumstances, of course, would urge his wife to take a summer vacation. He would be disposed to pooh at her apprehensions that she ought not leave the children. So the mother was persuaded, much against her judgment to go off on a trip. Now we can imagine the home without a mother. For the first day and night the husband and father thought himself of many improvements in household management. When he came home to dinner he found the boys had converted the parlor into a menagerie and had the cat and two or three neighbors' cats caged for wild beasts, he smiled and gently removed the show to the shady side of the house and cautioned the boys to do nothing, now that mother was gone that she would disapprove of were she at home. The children at the dinner table were not quite as clean as usual, but the husband and father let that pass and devoted himself solicitously to seeing the youngsters were well helped. He was resolved to have the home happy. He cautioned the children to be good and mind the nurse, and went away with a proud step to business. When he went home to tea the baby looked at him sadly out of one eye. The other had been closed in a tumble out of the hammock. There had been a circus in the back yard all the afternoon and being somewhat annoyed by the appearance of things he proceeded to club the animals, which had progressed from cats to dogs, and to shoo off the actors and actresses not members of his own family. In the heat and dust of the occasion he found two of his own flock had been expelled from his premises. He never would have known them but for their dear voices. Such looking children! One had been an acrobat. And something unusual for a boy of his age, his little pants were too narrow in the seat and there was little left of them. The ring was dusty and the boy had perspired freely and of his natural coloring none was left except the color of his rump which did not look all that natural in the setting. The other expelled member had been the ringmaster. He had given the clown too sharp a cut and the clown in dead earnest had given the ringmaster a thrashing. It must have been something of a thrashing for the ringmaster's appearance was very much changed. But the family was finally gathered together and the odd looking collection went in to tea. The situation began to look discouraging. The husband and father thought it was probably his luck. During the night he exercised considerably in his nightshirt, a business he could not remember his wife ever being called upon to engage. Toward morning he gave one little fellow who persisted in calling for water a spanking. At the breakfast table he omitted saying grace and hurried away as soon as possible, without kissing the children, to business. As the day progressed his good nature returned and at each meal he insisted upon having gathered with him at the family board a number of children equal to the number of children in his family, without insisting upon a knowledge that they were really his and not his neighbors. During the day there was more or less crockery broken, the baby carriage lost a wheel, and the nurse got a whack over the head, for some officious interference, from the young man who had acted as ringmaster the day before. The night was passed about as the night before only the spanking fell to the lot of another child and the cat got in and killed the bird. The husband and father said to himself that everything possible was being done for the children, but they seemed to miss their mother. However that day he wrote to his wife that she need give herself no concern about matters at home, for the children were happy as could be and getting along nicely - and he urged her to stay as long as she wanted and to have as good a time as she could. Which proved that he was not a brute nor such a bad-hearted sort of man after all. So the wife and mother thought when she read the letter. Sioux City Journal |