Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1908 — CURED. [ARTICLE]

CURED.

“Dear me, wife, not done yet? Why, here it is supper time, and you are still in your nr'ruing wrapper,” said Mr. Williams as he came home from his work and found his wife still en deshabille. “Yes, but do you not know that ‘woman’s work is never done?’ There is the baby, too” "Yes, Ella, bat do you not know that all women have so much *to do? If you would only hurry the least little bit, you would accomplish all the work in a much shorter time. I could do It all in one-half the time.” “Oh, John!” “Well, you just go off somewhere and see if you don’t find things in ‘apple pie order* when you come back.” Thus ended the evening chat. The Tuesday following she received a note saying: Dear Ella—Come immediately. I am very-ill. Your mother, E. F. P. When John returned from his work and had read the note he said: “Go, by all means. I will attend to the housekeeping,” added he, with a confident air. “John, I shall be obliged to leave the baby at home. In case I should not be at home again tomorrow will you see that he is fed?” “Of course. Do you think 1 would starve him?” “The next morning while Mrs. W. was on her way to her mother’s house John was at home, introduced into the mysteries of the kitchen. v About dinner time he went , down into the cellar arid soon returned with a large bowl of sweet cream. After placing this on the table be put on his hat and coat and sauntered down to the butcher's after a steak for dinner. In going out he forgot to shut the door after him, and on bls return home he found five cats lapping the cream he had left on the table. “Well,” he said, “I shall say nothing of this to Ella, but I*ll broil the steak, and that will quite make up for the loss of the cream.” He then tied one of Ella's aprons around him, as he bad seen Ella do when she was about to engage in some such kind of work, put the steak into a frying pan and covered it over with a pot lid, fully expecting to find the steak nicely done when he should again raise the Ud. Alas, however, the steak was burned to a cinder! "That is strange,” said John. "Ella’s broiled steak never resembled this certainly.” ■ By this time he was quite hungry. He was not quite so boastful as he had been that morning. "There is, at least, one thing I’ll have for dinner. I’ll warm up the potatoes that are left over from yesterday’s dinner.” So John put a large lump of lard in thefryjpg paa_and joon-aftet the_ppth-

toes. The’ potatoes were soon warm, but as he sat down to eat them he was surprised at their greasy appearance as well as at the amount of lard left In the pan. How many times be had wished Ella back again that day! In thinking of his many disappointments, together with the fact that he had not yet had his dinner, poor John knew not what to do with himself. The ringing of the doorbell aroused him, and he, forgetting bls ridiculous appearance, rushed to the door. “I have come to call on Mrs. Williams,” said the lady who rang the bell. "Mrs. Williams is not In at present.” “Then I should like to see Mr. Williams If be Is In.” “I am he, madam.” “You?” said the lady, trying In vain to keep from laughing. Then poor John, suddenly recollecting his ridiculous appearance, felt ready to die of shame. There was no help for It, however. He Invited the lady Into the close front parlor, in which the fumes of the burned steak and hot fat were still distinct. Scarce knowing what he was doing, he led her to the sofa, and she sat down, not upon It, but Into the-pan containing the lard. John started back, not knowing what to do or say. In the midst of these troubles the baby began to cry, and John, now terrified beyond everything, rushed into the other room, mentally resolving that if Ella did not come soon he would put an end to these trials. The lady tn the front room kept very quiet She thought she beard some one crying. She listened. It was John. He was talking to himself. He said, “Oh, dear Ella, come back to me again and forgive me, and you shall never hear me boast again!” Then the old lady In the front room slipped off her wig, her old black veil and her dress, and In a very few moments his Ella, for It was she. stood before him. "Oh, Ella, forgive me!” were his first words on recovering from bls surprise. ' She forgave him, then told him how she had planned all to cure him of housekeeping. "You have done so, darling,” said he.