Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1919 — Time and Tide [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Time and Tide

By DORA MOLEAN

(Copyright, Ul», by th* McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) Jimmy Spellman looked at his watch, rowed ashore, made his boat fast to the little wharf and stopped to clean the four flatfish he had caught that morning. Then he walked up the path to the house, whistling gayly. It was 7 o’clock. Eleanor would be just coming downstairs. He would cook the fish while she prepared the rest of breakfast and theje would be plenty of time to catch the 8 o’clock car into town as usual. Eleanor was not in the kitchen or the dining room, so Jimmy Vent to* the foot of the stairs and called up. A sleepy voice answered; “What do you want?” “Why, it’s after 7, dear; time you were down.” A pause. Then the sleepy voice again, 'this time in Injured accents: “It’s only 6, Jimmy.” Jimmy consulted his watch again; then a sudden thought struck him and he called back, laughingly, “Say, dear, the joke’s on you. You forgot to set your watch ahead last night. Better hurry up and I’ll start the breakfast.” Jimmy was well versed In camp lore, but not very expert in turning out a well set table. However, he did his best, and in half an hour the fish and coffee were ready. But still no Eleanor. So he made the trip to the foot of the stairs again and hailed her. “Breakfast Is .served, and I will have twenty minutes with you if you hurry, Lazybones.” “But it really isn’t 7 yet; why should I lose an hour’s sleep just to please the people who made that fool law?” *came back the Injured voice. “Well, please yourself,” replied Jimmy, rather peeved, “but I must eat and be off.” And his sense of injury grew as he ate. This was the first time since their marriage, three months before, that Eleanor had not got up in time to prepare breakfast and eat it with him. Well, he could pay her back; and he did so by a casually flung good-by as 1 he hurried out the door. Eleanor couldn’t believe that Simmy would really start off for all day without kissing her good-by. She Jumped out of bed and looked out of the win-

dow. Yes, there he was, hurrying down the road without once glancing around. Feeling much abused, she dressed swiftly and ran down stairs. , In one minute she had decided that Jimmy had left the table in a very messy state, used the wrong frying pan for the fisir, forgotten to turn off the gas and left the back door open, so the neighbor’s cat was in the kitchen. And all that morning, as she went about her housework, she piled up grievances against the unfortunate Jimmy. But in the rush of the day’s business Jimmy forgot the incident entirely and arrived home in his usually good spirits. “We’ve got an extra hour of daylight, dear; let’s hurry through dinner and go out for a row. It’s like summer out of doors,” he said. “But you’re home early, Jimmy. I just this minute put the potatoes in the oven to bake,” answered Eleanor, accepting the kiss rather coolly. “It’s nearly 6, my usual time.” Jimmy drew out his watch to confirm his statement. “Oh, I forgot to set my watch ahead, after all. Anyway, it isn’t really 6, you know.” His wife’s voice sounded very sweet, but a suspicion dawned in Jimmy’s mind that she had forgotten on purpose. “Now, see here, dear, that’s a very foolish slant you are taking at this/ matter. The time has been changed. The whole country has accepted it. Allowances have been made for it everywhere, All business is running on it. Do you intend to stick out against it alone and keep on upsetting my daily schedule this way?” To relate what Eleanor said hext and what Jimmy replied would take some time. Suffice it to say that they started on their first quarrel right there, and that it took the extra hour of daylight to make it up. Then Jimmy set every clock and watch in the house exactly right and everything was glorious happiness again. But Eleanor

was a normal woman and rhe didn’t quite forget Jimmy’s statement that she had been the only person in the country who had not made allowance for the change in time. Now Jimmy owned a kippy little power* boat. There was only a threefoot rise and fall in the tide of their cove, and the power boat could not be brought up to the at high water, so it was customarily left at a mooring about 200 feet off shore and reached by means of the rowboat. It was Saturday afternoon and Jimmy’S half holiday. They were to entertain his senior partner and the partner’s wife at dinner. It was an important occasion and Eleanor, assisted by a woman in for the day, was flying around, too intent on the arrangements to- pay much attention to the man of the house. The latter felt himself quite unnecessary, and so, after consulting an almanac as to the tide, announced that he would tow the rowboat over to Capt. Moore’s and leave It there to be overhauled. The captain could fix that leak In no time, he explained, and the tide would be high 5, so he could bring the motorboat up to the wharf in plenty of time to dress before the guests arrived. > Eleanor had dismissed her husband from her thoughts entirely, too busy even to glance out of the window and watch for his return. At a quarter after 5 she was consulting anxiously with the woman about something that didn’t seem to be going just right, and left to fly upstairs to change, her housewifely eye glancing to right and left on the way to discern any possible flaw in the Immaculate order of the house. Wet, sandy tracks on the stairs confronted her. Hastening back for a cloth, she followed them up, almost In tears.' How could Jimmy be so careless at this time? The tracks led to an unused room at the back Of the house. Puzzled and a little uneasy, she called, “You there, Jimmy?” A pause. Then a muttered “Yes.” Reassured, Eleanor opened the door and discovered her husband standing In a pool of watet, to which his wet clothes were constantly adding. Wet hair was stringing Into his eyes and with comments unprintable he struggled with a wet shoelace. “Why, Jimmy I Did you fall overboard?” exclaimed Eleanor, r “No. I had to swim ashore. • That Infernal, dad-blamed, wooden-headed almanac was wrong about the tide. It won’t be high for nearly an hour yet.” A sudden thought struck Eleanor. “Jimmy,” she Inquired Innocently, “did you allow for the change in time?” But her lips twitched. | “By golly!” exclaimed Jimmy, staring at his wife with his mouth open. “I never thought of that!” “Never mind, Jimmy; your wife won’t punish you for forgetting in the way you punished her. Hurry up and get dry enough to be kissed.” An armload of old papers for 5c at The Democrat office.

Looked Out of the Window.