WHITTAKER'S WOES.

NZ Truth, Issue 97, 27 April 1907, Page 5

WHITTAKER'S WOES.

A MAN MAID-OF-ALL-WORK.

Biffed Out on His Pink Ear.

He Had Saved Up for His Funeral.

Its pretty rough G n a man after 30 years of married life to find 'out that his wife has not got any lime ' for him and invokes Magisterial aid to warn him off the course." Such Was the fate of Edward Whittaker. who defended a suit • instituted by his wife, Alice May, at the S.M's Court last Monday, wherein she sought a separation order against him beoause he had not contributed to her support. In the. end Ned %v a s badly biffed out and told to Co -md live somewhere else, because the ntegestion was he had for montn., u;St lived and loafed on the Missii'i • who looks after boarders m a Tenuys-.n-street- house. The Missus js •>$ years of age and is a resnectabte looking, well-dressed igrey. haired dame and it looked according to evidence 'that it was only witbifci the last couple of years she toad come to the conclusion that Ned was a, worthless reprobate, who would not work or pay his way and wanted to live like the boarders without occasionally coming t o light with current coin of the realm.' For two years, Wtaittaker, who is an iron-moulder by trade, has not done a day's graft, though , he., gave a hand, an* only when he was in* the Hum or, m lighting (fires, washing up and peeling potatoes. Of course, the furniture was m her name, it generally is. when WIVES WANT TO GET RID OF, HUSBANDS. Ned lived like any other boarder, though what he eat and drank came out of the boarder's rent. This was the story she told Mr Wilford, who appeared fbr her and Mr Wedcle who represented Ned, started m to pulverise Mrs Whittaker with a crucial , examination but got the worst of it himself, as she told him that during the. 27 years life of wedded bliss the old 'un only worked when he liked and when he found employers who suited him. Ned's services m the scullery Weren't very valuable as he seemed to have the . tired feeling • very bad and washed up and peeled spuds when the fit took him, which was not very often. A girl of V 7 had to^be employed, and when a little time ago the missus was laid' up, Ned was a howling failure as a maid of all work and another maid's services had to be requisitioned. Tbe house, which had a £450 mortgage oa it belonged to her and she had £50 or £60 m a Starr-Bowkett concern m Melbourne. Ned, moreover, seemed a particularly mean kind v of ' cuss and one of -the causes of their matrimonial miseries was the sum of sixpense ; he reckoned she o-.ved him sixpence over something or other which was not made quite clear, and so she said to him, "Edward I can never possibly live with you again 1 ." Edward moreover, . SNORED WHEN HE SLEPT and ; that was alleged to be the chief reason why her bed was prohibited him. , Ned's excuse -for not working at his trade was that \ the fumes from the iroa injured his throat and Dr McArthur said he Knew as much about iron as Ned did and iron did not effect anybody's throat, so Edwards 'excuse on that: score .^yas , knocked sky high. . ; , ; ; "• ;u ' Mr. Wecde^r The^Teason- yoti~ object" to live with him is that he" snores'? Yes that is lone of them. Ned, " o le hoss" that he is, observing that he was not half as strong as he looked. and then told , the sadv sad story of h/is married.," life. He had not for sometime lived on the hest of terms with his wife and he had worked hard up till November twelve months when he knocked off, never to tackle it again. He had regularly handed over his earnings to the Missus, keeping just enough for incidental expenses. He had managed to" save up £30, and with this he had intended to give himself A DECENT CHRISTIAN FUNERAL When the time came. His work m the house he reckoned equalled his board and lodgings as he did everything save the cooking) for which Tin doubt the boarders are extremely, grateful. He had scrubbed floors, made beds, m fact, did everything an ordinary girl would do. He never had a penny to spend on himself while his better-half had a wardrobe valued" at £100. Ned did not mention that he wore her cast-off clothes ; but he did not forget to) . say that she had banged him with' a broom. v It did not strike him as Leir* peculiar that the Missus should wantto get rid of such a jewel of a .maid _ of all work. Next he got into holts With Mr Wilford [over something he alleged thaiHawyer had calted him. \ / "You balled me A DIRTY, LAZY, LOAFER." he said. , . •■•'.. Mr Wilford : I said you were a lazy old man, you look particularly, clean. "You called me everything but a gentleman," Whittaker re tor fed. This was Ned's second matrimonial venture and there seemed to be a string .of step-daughters ready to fill up the breach against the stepmother, and one, now married, came forward prepared to tell how mamma had treated dad- The beak was not keen on holding a post-mortem examination on family affairs, but he got riled somewhat at the remark made by- Whittaker that the step-mother had kicked them all out. "Well, so they ought to be" said the Magistrate, she (the married daughter) is married. Wbittaker's counsel next observed something about Ned being biffed •ut into the cold cruel world, but he was reminded that he had a tenner which he had proposed buvinc himself a coffin with and when that ran out he could come ( to the court and ask for a maintenance order against his wife. . . , An order for separation was granted with costs against the defendant.