THE DIVORCE. 15.

Tue Ciercyman. ‘You Mrs. Nita, just listen to me.
Ma’am (if you push me off this wall I won’t play!), hold
your head up, ma’am, and take your bonnet off.”

Mrs. Nita. “ Yes, sir, if you ’ll untie the strings ; they ’re
knotted up.”

CLERGYMAN (coughing). ‘“ As long as it isn’t a wedding,
I don’t know but you may as well keep it on. I propose,
ma’am,—I propose to ask you to-day if you wish and re-
quest to be divorced from your husband, Mr. Trotty.”

Mrs. Nita. “No, sir. I never did. But Merle put him
up to it, and so he says I must.”

Tue BripEcroom (blushing). “O, what a story! You
said you ’d just as liefs if I gave you five cents to-morrow;
so I gave you four to-day. Besides, you’ve got my note for
the other, at ten per cent interest. So there now!”

CLERGYMAN (severely). ‘‘ Mr. Trotty, sir, you insult the
lady! Sir, you deserted her! You ran away from this lady
on your first wedding journey, sir! Let me hear you say
you didn’t!

Mrs. Nita (with some spirit). “ His mamma knows he
did! She wrung me out and set me up to the kitchen fire.
I would n’t have another sucher husband! I7’d rather be a
nold maid or else I’d marry Mr. Boggs or Crazy Jim. Be-
sides, if my father kept a candy-shop J would n’t marry other
folkses husbands! I’d get a fresh one of my own, or I’d go
without!”

At this point Miss Merle appeared in full-length photograph