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Show I 4 $swfr H (Copyrlsht. 1905, by Dally Story Tub. CM B "Hoyt nothln' to cat In tlicro yet?" H nnd burly Jake, backed by tho other H Hvo hired men, lumbered wondcrltiRly m Into tho kitchen. "No flro In tho H stove? Whero's all tho women (oiks? B What's up?" B Johnson started, then drow himself H togotlior hurriedly. H "My wife and daughter hnvo Just B, run up to Mary Drown's for a day or B two," ho answered gruflly. "Tho visit B was cr pretty Biiddcn, nnd thoy hud B no tlmo to send mo word, nor to get B dlnnor. Hut I guess wo can patch up B ono between us, eh, Jako" trying to B pass It oft lightly. "Oct just as good H dinner as tho women folks, and a B mighty sight quicker." B "Courso wo can," cried Jako, with m alacrity, and plcasc'd at tho thought of B so novol a task, "and ono wo'U llko B better, too. Men folks know Just what B men folks want. We'll liavo Injuns B and tatcrs, and coffco that's strong B enough to tnsto." B "And b'llcd cabbage," reminded ono B of tho men earnestly. B- "And trlpo." "And baked beans." K "And liver," chimed In tho others. m moistening their lips In anticipation H of favorlto dishes. H "Conio, comol Wo can't havo every- B thing at once," expostulated Johnson. H Impatiently. "Hero, pitch In, all of : you, and help what you can. That m field's got to bo hoed before dark." m Hut In splto of tho superabundance m of fisslstnnco the dinner progressed B slowly, and It was 2 o'clock beforo tho B men drow their chairs to tho tablo, K red-faced and fuming at tho stupidity B' of each other. And In splto of tho Ka fact that It was of their own cooking, BMML' tho dlnnor did not seem to plcaso V, them. Thoy tasted suspiciously of IBM ono dish and another, and pushed BBS tholr plates back, and then trlod again, ! grimacing and scowling and at last BBb roso sullenly and left tho room. Johnson glanced at his watch as tho M last ono disappeared. Ho had work ! of lmportnnco to look after, so tho m dishes nnd food wcro loft on tho tnblo, B and tho cooking utensils on tlio stove B and floor, wherovor they had been K dropped In the hurry. It would bo B tlmo enough to nttend to thorn when PB ho returned. BBC llut long boforo that tho sun bad B fallen behind tho npplo orchard, and PB- tho kitchen- was so full of shadows PB as to catl for artificial light. Ho PB was tlrod 'and cross, nnd this did not BbB facilitate dlsti-w ashing and supper- PPJ getting. When thoineu came in 'from PB their Into 'choVoslio-was bristling with PB angry Impatfpnce, and his faco nnd BIB clothing 'Qro'Bttqd'SvUh greaso nnd PB .soot of re(;JilcBatcoi(tnqt- with dish BIB iwalor anrffco&Uini ufcTiss. Again thoy PB wern called ,;ipon. for assistance, and PB again after -sorno of the unsatlsfac- BH tory supptjf hA tcn- forced down PB tho dishes and food wcro left on tho PB tablo, to await tho time when It would PB bo necessary to rcmovo them. PB Ono day longer tho "men folk's" BH cooking wni persisted In, but by that PB tlmo tho pleasant kltchon had been PPJ transformed from n place of orderll- I- ifffeii H "Heyl nothln' to eat In there yet?" PB jiomi to a den of chaotic negloet. Than PK Jako doolared that all the Hies of the PPS. whole neighborhood had come to feast PPJjv with them, and that if no change was PB hiuda, ho. for one, was going to take PBm filu meals hencuforth over jo Nolgh- PPj bar Gould's; and tbnt tbo othor hlrod PPt man agruod with him. BBm So tho next morning Jako was sent BIB' ,unoiLrfim)nlously to Mury Ttrowii's Ppt wlllf rirdqrs to brlnr; tho women folks PB; homo, whether or no, PPJ' Just tell thorn wo'ro too busy with PH, tho hoolng now to bother with cook- PB "rig," Johnson snarled. "If 'twas any PBv other tlmo wo wouldn't caro a contl BBBBf j bbW; BBBS'"u BBSK.Z t nontnl whothor thoy como or stayed. It's Just their aggravating wny to pick out a tlmo llko this." Hut when Jako returnod with tho Information that Mary Ilrown had nelthor seen nor heard of thorn, his anger gnvo placo to wonder and dismay. dis-may. Whnt was ho to do? Manifestly Manifest-ly ho was not cqunl to doing tho work himself, much as he disliked to acknowledge ac-knowledge It after declaring that worn en's work was not work at all, but only play. In tho end ho sent for ono of tho Gould girls to como nnd attond to tho - 1 l3 I '.7 Dwi "Another weekl' groaned Johnson, house work, nnd after two dnyB Bent hor back nnd; engaged ono of the Cady girls. Hut sbo was no bettor. Then ho tried It again himself, but with oren less satisfaction than bc-fnrn. bc-fnrn. Tin liml not dreamed housa work was so endless and exasperating, nnd beforo tho week was out was so far humbled as to acknowledge to' Jnko In prlvnto that ho would rather hoo corn sixteen hours a day than pro-paro pro-paro a slnglo mcnl of victuals. "Then why don't you got tho women wom-en folks back?" Jako asked bluntly. "If you can run tho kitchen chenpor and easier than they, llko I'vo henrd you twit 'cm, go ahead and do It; It not got 'era back. That's my say." Another two days brought Johnson to tho limit of his endurance nnd then camo relief In tho shape of a lettor from tho city. It read. "Dear husband: "Wo'vo been having a protty good tlmo, but things hero do cost awful. I wanted to buy somo things for Mary but can't, for we'll havo only Just enough to pay our faro homo after staying another week." "Another wcokl" groaned Johnson. "How'll wo over got through it?" Then ho continued: "Wo went to that machlno placo number and found 'twas a fraud, Just llko I warned you. The law's shut It up, and thore's a lot of lotters hold for their owners. I hired a lawyer and ho found It out, and ho said ono letter was yours and would bo sent bne'e. I supposo it's tbo ono with tho fifteen hundred dollars you sent." John drow a quick, hard broath, and than read tho postscript. "I supposo It's ulensnntor th,oro without us, nnd you'ro living cheaper and bettor, llko you'vo always said; but It's lonesomo hero in tho big city, and Mary and I win do notn giaa to get back. Wo'll como a weok from Saturday." Johnson dropped tho lottor and leaned his hoad upon his hands. Thinking was something unusual to him, but this tlmo it was to good purpose., pur-pose., for it onded In his writing in a erampod, laborious hand. "Doar wlfo: "I take my pen In hand to rtnswor your welcome letter. Wo'vo bean hurine an awful tlmo and want you to come back Just as soo'n as you can. All tho men will bo glad to tnsto of your cooking again, and I won't over say any ranro ubout it's bolnc onsv. t'm Bonding n huudred dollnrs with this to buy some things for Mary, and I'm free to sny I think It's a good Idea to have a hlrod girl. Wo'ro woll off now and can afford It. and I'm sorry I didn't soo tho noed of things In tho house llko I have them otitsldo boforo this. I won't buvo anything more to say nbout tho kitchen. Only ploaso como homo hoon." |