A man story Author:E. W Howe Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. MBS. TOM. When we went downstairs my uncle was greeted at his own door by Mrs. Tom, who had been waiting for him, and he said that he had dran... more »k so much of the liquor to keep it from Number Two, that he felt a little like making a night of it; but he did not, further than to remain up rather late. Uncle Tom was very fond of his wife, but he was always saying that he would finally tire of her, and be ashamed of himself for it, although no one ever believed that he meant it. No one could tire of Mrs. Tom; certainly no one ever had tired of her, and she had been at our house most of her life. " When I am on the road," he said, after announcing to his wife that her big foolish lover had returned, and that she should makethe most of the silly fellow, " I long for you as much as a boy longs for recess, for I am not a wise man, and cannot console my loneliness by thinking of the blessed times when I see you. I don't get any better, either. I suppose the only way out of it is to quit the road, and come home and tire of you." Mrs. Tom was so busy rejoicing because of her merry husband's arrival that she paid little attention to this statement, which seemed rather alarming to me, but perhaps she had heard it before, and knew that he was not serious. " But now that I am with you," he continued, " I haven't a care in the world. I was thinking last week that there was no use living, and keeping up the struggle, but I have nothing to wish for, now that I am at home. I believe you are better-looking than when I saw you last. I don't imagine that you are known in this country as a beauty, but I'm in love, and I think you are the prettiest woman I ever saw." I had never thought Mrs. Tom particularly good-looking, but now that the subject was brought to my mind, ...« less