A BREAKFAST-TABLE DIALOGUE.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 298, 21 June 1909, Page 7

A BREAKFAST-TABLE DIALOGUE.

"It's a, letter from Mary," said the man's "wife, looking up at her husband. "I'll let you see it iiv a minute." "Don't hurry," said' the man taking another bite of toast. "I don't think I'd have time to read it, anyway. Nothing exciting is there?" "I don't know what you would call exciting," said his wife. "She says ! the baby's beginning to talk ■ already." "That's important, if true," ob-served-the man.. "Just think of that!" * ■ "It certainly is remarkable," said the -man's wife.. She's not more than a year old. You always sneer at Mary's letters." "I don't* mean to," said the man. "I think you imagine it. I wonder when she'll learn to stop talking. I don't refer to Mary, but the kid. Mary won't be able to teach lier, though, 'the. mother tongue!' What a particularly apt phrase that is! You never quite realise it until you think how absurd it would h& to say 'fai'ther tongue.' " "Or 'father wit,,' " suggested the man's wife. " "My dear, I notice that you can talk now and then." "Whenever I get a chance," admitted the man. "What else has Mary got to cay?" "I'd rather not tell you," said the' man's wife. "I guess I won't let you see the letter, either, come to think of it." . "You wouldn't disappoint mo in that way, would, you?" pleaded the man. "You know how sad that would mako me. Of course, I won't urge it if you are determined not to, but I must say it isn't like your usual wifely confidence. "* I'll apologise for what I said, if that's it," "Oh, I don't mind what you say," declared the man's wife. "I'm used to it. I didn't want to hurt your feelings, that's all. They've moved into their -new house, and they like it very much." " ? \ "Being a new house, and having j ust moved into it, they naturally would like it," said the man. "That I doesn't "ire me any sharp stabs of anguish, though: "I'm glad they like it, and I shall be sorry' and.sympathetic when they don't. I haven't' any feeling of animosity towards Mary, or her husband either. You're just a little too considerate of me, dearest," - "That wasn't what I was thinking of when I said I wouldn't let you see the letter. It was something , altogether different.* I don't really think Mary meant it as a reflection 011 you. If I had lmvo been in her pla.ee I don't think I would have said anything about it. She lacks tact:" "Don't let it pray on your mind at all," said the man. "I feel confident that she midn't moan anything; if she had she wouldn't nave said it. What was she knocking me about, anyway?'' . "I toll you I don't think she meant ,to reflect on you.,"' said the man's wife. "As i\ matter of fact, she

didn't mention your name. It was jnst a little piece of news that she thought she'd give me." The man looked uneasy. "Mary doesn't know anything about me that I wouldn't bo perfectly willing to tell you myself," he said. "Let me see her letter." "No, si&," said the man* wife, quickly withdrawing the criss-crossed pages from his reach. "Tell me, then," "It wasn't anything." • . j "If it wasn't- anything, why don't you tell me or let me see the letter?" "It was only that Robert had bought her a beautiful new set of furs — Russian sable. That was all, really. You can read the letter if you want to." The nian staged. "What on earth made you think that- would hurt my feelings?" The man's wife hesitated. "Well," she said, "I supposed that when, you thought of my shabby old set you might feel a little bad because you can't afford " ""Wait till Christmas 3 and we'll see what happens," said the man hastily. Mary's always getting mo into trouble."