"There's something kind of pitiful about a man that growls
Because the sun beats down too hot, because the wild wind howls,
Who never eats a meal but that the cream ain't thick enough,
The coffee ain't been settled right, or else the meat's too tough--

Poor chap! He's just the victim of Fate's oldest, meanest trick,
You'll see by watching mules and men, they don't need brains to kick."

_Chicago Interocean_.

Add to the "kicking habit" the insistence that each member of the family
must be reminded at frequent intervals of his peculiar weaknesses, and that
the discussion of uncomfortable topics, long since worn threadbare, must be
reopened at every available opportunity, and the adage is justified, "be it
ever so humble, there's no place like home."

Try the following suggestion on approaching the house after a hard
day's work. Say to yourself, "Why tired and cross? Why not tired and
good-natured?" The result may startle the family and cause inquiries for
your health, but "Don't Worry," if it does; console yourself with the
thought they will like you none the less for giving them a glimpse of that
sunny nature of which they have often heard.

As a further preparation for the evening meal, and the evening, by way of
alleviating the mental and physical discomfort following a trying day, one
is surprised by the effectiveness of taking a bath and changing all the
clothing. This treatment, in fact, almost offers a sure cure, but the
person who would be most benefited thereby, is the person so obsessed to
pursue the miserable tenor of his way that he scouts the suggestion that