Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1888-07-27
old 1snac's, the second hand and misilt

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"Wy, yes, Tom,h she said, treasured.
'In all of thcm," asked again.
eyes, in alt. Pm certain"
"In that miserable, wrctchcd, deccp
tive, useless thing in the trousers called
u watch pocket"
"Why-no-Tom. 1 ddn't-I-I-"
She burst into tears, aud sat down
with her apron over her face. / stalkc0
into another room, and banged the door
very hard. / opened it softly i'll less
than three minutes, and-wcll, we made
1T all up again, although we were still
very sober over our loss.
My wife said she would do without n
great many things that she never did do
without, and l tried TO take an opti
mistic view of the affair." and said mcckly
and untruthfully that supposed it was
| all Cor the best. TO make matters Il
little worse, drew from my pocket u
large, square, elegant looking envelope,
and said TO my wifa:
"And here's an invitation to the much
talked of Smythc. Durant wedding next
week, and reilly would like to 70.
I'vc known Helen Durant all her liic,
aud like her, il do dcspisc that snob
of George Smythc she is going tc
marry"
"I'm so sorry" said my wife con.
tritcly, "anl here We might have gone us
well rs not if hadn't sod your only
black suit 1t did look real nice, and
quite as good rs new, | dare say, by
lnmplight. could have worn my we'd.
ding dress, and we could have made u
very decent appearance. 1t is too bad -
She began crying again. said
would go AWAY and never come back il
she didn't stop. Suddenly she jumped
to her feet and said cxcitcdy:
''Why, Tom! how foolish we are IT
isn't at all likely that old Isaacs has sold
the suit yet, and it may be that he hasn't
looked in the pocHcts. Let ms hurry
right down TO his stofc and buy it back.
We can tell HIM il was mistake, us it
truly was. Let us hurry right OIL"
We reached the uninviting store of b.
1saacs, dealer in second hand and mislit
garments. in about fifteen minutes, but
the suit was goncl
81 hat Just sold it no more rs drcc
minutes and IL haluf ago. 1t was not
worth much. | makes me no money on
dot suit. 1t wood not Wit man dot ways
any ding ut ALL"
IN ed angrily out of The store
"Wcll," ] said, as VIC walked modify
homcward, "l'm not the only hundred
pound siX-fooicr i'll this town. That's
evident. I'll keep me eyes on the other
living skeletons, and if | find the one
who has my trousers. I'll have them back
again by fair means or foul"
l kept a sharp lookout for lean men
during the next week, and was gratilied
to discover that there were fifteen or
twenty i'll the city rs lean rs myself, but
all of them were saved the humiliation
of being informc by me that they were
wearing my clothes, Il humiliation that
might not, perhaps, have been lcsscncd
by the oilcr OF twenty-five that intended
making for their return.
AS the cvcnin" for the wedding before
referred to drew near our desire To at
tend it increased, and ut last said to
my wife:
"Wcll, Just cannot afford to get me
another full dress suit that | might not
need again for ten years. And I'll stay
AT home forever and wear rags and tags
before I'll wear Il hired suit. But we
can at least go to the church, 1t is to
be church wedding, you know, and 1
can wear my ordinary business suit and
overcoat to the churchill | don't fluid
the man who has my clothes"
But did not find him, and we went
early down to the church that we might
be first there, and our lack OF fc tive
garments less noticeable.
eff it wasn't for Helen wouldn't 20
mt all, f" ] said rs we sat in the church,
awaiting the coming of the bridal party;
al cannot endure Smythc. lie thinks
himself vastly superior to me and makes
me sick with his Tx about fashions and
hest society and all that. 1t makes me
so mad TO be told, as often am, that he
looks like me. know I'm long and
lanll, but he"
.'sh-sh.shl" whispered my wife;
"they're coming"
"With such II flourish of trGmpcts, II
whispered in reply.
Down they came in the broad center
a'sle-Iive bridesmaids with gorgeous
pink and lavender and blue and cream
and cardinal trains; five "bcst men, in
ugly black garments, and, last of all,
Helen with yards and yards of white
satin and tullc and lace and .mythc in
i clutchcd at my wife's arm and al
most shouted in her ear:
''Hc has on my welding suit, as sure
rs you're living woman"
Mary Jane gave my arm an awful
pinch in return and an admonishing
poke in the side with her fan.
"No, my dear" said, MS we walked
homcward after the ceremony, "I am
not mistaken. Those were my clothes.
| would know those trousers if l saw
them on llottcntot. Didn't you detect
faint odor of gasoline rs he went bv
our pew9 | did. TO think. my dear,
that ! cannot go to the most fashionable
wedding of the season because the bride
groom has on my clothes! But if had
gone, he d have had to stay at home,
wouldn't he2 Lean as we are we
couldn't both have worn those"
''IIow perfectly ridiculous you nre |"
interrupted Mary Jane. 81 don't feel
at all sure that they we're your clothcs."
"And, if they were, how are we going
to get that fifty dollar bill out of that
pockets"
"Wo didn't get it. But they were
my clothes. gave old Isaacs dollar
for telling me that he had sold the suit
to Smythe, who had sworn Isaacs to
secrecy on the subject lie looked
heart-broken and turned green when
told him about tbat trty IoIio. I,;It