AFTER THE LONG BILLS. 



On Tuesday evening, June 30, I sat 

 in my study at my home in Newark, 

 N. J. I had had an extremely hard 

 day of it, for I am a young lawyer, the 

 junior partner of a legal firm of some 

 prominence in the Empire City. As 

 such jiinior partner, a good deal of the 

 drudgery of the profession falls upon 

 my shoulders. As I have said, the day 

 had been a trying one for me, so much 

 so that I had but little appetite for the 

 delicious little dinner my better half 

 had ready for me upon my arrival 

 home rather late that evening. Her 

 pleasant conversation during the meal 

 and the tastefulness of the viands, 

 served to overcome, in a measure, my 

 lassitude, so that when wife and self 

 adjourned after dinner to my study, in 

 order that I might enjoy my post pran- 

 dial cigar, I was a far better man both 



mentally and physically than when I 

 entered the house. We have been mar- 

 ried for some years, but as yet the 

 prattle of little ones is unknown to us, 

 much to our sorrow. Hence my two 

 dogs, Hal, a black and white pointer, 

 and Meg, an English setter, are made 

 much of by us both. In fact, they 

 have run of the house and are as gTeat 

 favorites with the "ladies" of the 

 kitchen as they are with us. When 

 wife and I started for the study, she 

 called down the speaking tube to the 

 floor below : 



"Maggie, open the door and let Hal 

 and Meg up, please." 



In a trice the door is opened and up 

 the steps, whining with delight, comes 

 the quick patter, patter of many feet. 

 A second or so, and they are in the 

 stiidy. Dear! Dear! How affectionate 



