“Well, I'll tell the world he wouldn't holler for grub! You'd go by the
book if it told yuh to stand 'im on his head in the ice chest! By heck,
between a woman and a hen turkey, give me the turkey when it comes to
sense. They do take care of their young ones--”
“Aw, forget that! When it comes to sense---”
Oh, well, why go into details? You all know how these domestic storms
arise, and how love washes overboard when the matrimonial ship begins to
wallow in the seas of recrimination.
Bud lost his temper and said a good many things should not have said.
Marie flung back angry retorts and reminded Bud of all his sins and
slights and shortcomings, and told him many of mamma's pessimistic
prophecies concerning him, most of which seemed likely to be fulfilled.
Bud fought back, telling Marie how much of a snap she had had since she
married him, and how he must have looked like ready money to her, and
added that now, by heck, he even had to do his own cooking, as well as
listen to her whining and nagging, and that there wasn't clean corner in
the house, and she'd rather let her own baby go hungry than break a simp
rule in a darn book got up by a bunch of boobs that didn't know anything
about kids. Surely to goodness, he finished his heated paragraph, it
wouldn't break any woman's back to pour a little warm water on a little
malted milk, and shake it up.
He told Marie other things, and in return, Marie informed him that he
was just a big-mouthed, lazy brute, and she could curse the day she ever
met him. That was going pretty far. Bud reminded her that she had not
done any cursing at the time, being in his opinion too busy roping him
in to support her.
By that time he had gulped down his coffee, and was into his coat,
and looking for his hat. Marie, crying and scolding and rocking the
vociferous infant, interrupted herself to tell him that she wanted a
ten-cent roll of cotton from the drug store, and added that she hoped
she would not have to wait until next Christmas for it, either. Which
bit of sarcasm so inflamed Bud's rage that he swore every step of the
way to Santa Clara Avenue, and only stopped then because he happened to
meet a friend who was going down town, and they walked together.
At the drug store on the corner of Second Street Bud stopped and bought
the cotton, feeling remorseful for some of the things he had said to
Marie, but not enough so to send him back home to tell her he was sorry.
He went on, and met another friend before he had taken twenty steps.
This friend was thinking of buying a certain second-hand automobile that
was offered at a very low price, and he wanted Bud to go with him and
look her over. Bud went, glad of the excuse to kill the rest of the
forenoon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account