Poor Billister.

Otago Witness, Issue 2762, 20 February 1907, Page 79

Poor Billister.

"Jemima," grumbled Mr Billj-ter. fumbling in the chest of drawers, "I'd like to know where, in the name of common sense, you keep my socks?" "Which pair do you want, Josiah? inquired Mrs Biilister. "Any pair, if they are only mates. Here's an odd grey sock and *n odd black one, and down here in the corner is an old pair of last summer's socks, with holes in the toe 9. I don't gee why my things can't be kept in order the same as other men's." " If you had only told me — — " "Told Tout Have I got to run to you, Mrs Biilister, for every little thing I want? Is that your idea about how to carry on the household business? If you'd just t«ke trouble enough to pile things in here bo I can find 'em when I want 'em, it jvould save me lots of bother." "Josiah, if you will let me " " Now, there's no use of your getting excited about this thing. If you know where I can get a pair of half-way decent cooks just say so, and I'll hunt 'em up ; and if you don't know, and will have the kindness to put the fact in pl*in English, I'll go out and buy a pair. That's all." ** If you hadn't tumbled all these things out of shape, Josiah " "Tumbled them out of shape, have I? What's a chest of drawers for? Is it to hide things in, madam? If I don't find what I want on top, haven't I got to look under, I'd like to know? Any woman ihafc vill oack and jam a diawer full of

things, and arrange them so you've got to dig all through the whole business to sret what you're after, and then don't get it, hadn't got the right idea about arranging a man's haberdashery. If you know where my socks are, Mrs Biilister, why don't you cay so, instead of standing iike a po"t there and doing nothing?" " I could have found them for you vn a minute and saved you all this trouble if you had given me a chance," said Mrs Biilreter, as she straighhtened out the tangle in the drawer and brought to view from one of the bottom corners five pairs of clean socks. " When you want anything of this kind hereafter, Josiah, if you'll just let me know " "The trouble with ycu, Jemim?.*' growled Mr Biilister, as he jerked a par from the top of the pile and wont off to a corner to put them on, "is that jou talk too much. "