POOR SMITH.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3220, 14 June 1879, Page 4

POOR SMITH.

Varying the usual routine of games and problems, the New England ; Checker Player publishes the following, irr which Mrs Smith gives her better-half "a bit of her mmdl" about draught playing,:— "Now, John Henry; I've stood this sort o' carrying on as long as I'm going to. I ain't going to stay, at home all the time and have you carousing down street, a playing checkers in barbers' shops and saloons ; not if I can put a stop to .it, and I think I can? Bo you suppose I haint got no feelin's? Do you suppose fiesh and blood can eiidure averything ? It's bad enough when you are at home to be poring over the New England Checker Player, and slips cut out of the Boston Glober-that horrid Butler paper. And then you had. to fool away a dollar and a-half for one of those 'Cross' books, and you knew I wanted a new bonnet 36 as not fo be all out of style. Oh! if I.could only, get hold of that old Mr .Bowen, Led never write no more books full of lerenthirteen, forty-six-eigbteen—draw I What a miserable woman his wife must be; I should hate to be in her place. What did you say ?—probably he would, hate to have me? Now you think you have said something smart; why dont you larf! O, you needn't turd over and make b'ieve you've to sleep; you can't fool me so slick as once you could. I wish there wasn't any checker-boards m the world. Then, that night Miss Jones and her husband Were here, you kept himplaying checkers all the time, and every ■ time you spoke it was 'Laird 'and ' Lady,; •Old Nineteenth,' and what Jangve^r says, and how you can beat Fitzpatrick's •Black Doctor.' I never thought you would prefer to associate with niggers, than to spend your evening at home with your family ? You would if it wasn't for my ma ? Now you know you have acted shamefully? You have, been mad with her ever since the first day she was here and tooksomeof your pesky papers to-cut out a polonaise pattern, and took your old checker-board to kindle the fire when you left us without any." Here the poor man fell asleep and dreamed he was jplaying checkers with his mother-in-law and got worsted every time.