The Princeton union., 1889-08-15

that kept tor such occasions, lhur-
ried out to geta good report of the
fire, which happened to be ofunusual
magnitude.
We got out an stextra," and it was
late in the afternoon when / reached
home again. AS 1 entered the house
my wife held up a ten and five dollar
bill and said triumphantly:
"There, my dear, you have that
much to pay on a suit that will do
you some good. You don't know
what a good manager you've mar
ried. While you we're away to-day I
sponged, brushed and gasolined your
wedding suit until it looked almost
as good as new; and / carried it down
to old Isaacs, the secondhand and
mistit man, and got $15 for it,
Mary Jane," said coldly, and it
was the first time I had ever called
her by her full name, and she turned
as pale as l was. did YOU Mary
Jane Dixon, look carefully in all the
pockets OF that suit?''
"Why, yes, Tom," she said, reas-
sured.
''In all of them?'' asked again.
eyes, in all, I am certain"
4 "In that miserable, wretched de-
ceptive, useless thing in the trousers
called a watch pocket?''
"Why-no-Tom. didn't-I-T''
She burst into tears. andsat down
with her apron over her face. I
stalked into another room, and
banged the doorvery hard. Iopened
it softly in less that three minutes,
and-well, we made it all up again,
although we were very sober over our
loss.
My wife said she would do without
a good many things that she never
did without, and I tried to take an
optimistic view of the affair, and
supposed it was all for the best. To
make matters little worse, I drew
from my pocket large, square. ele-
gant-looking envelope, and said to
my wife:
"And here's an invitation to the
much talk OF Smythe-Durant we'd
ding next week, and I really would
like to go. I've known Helen Durant
all her life, and like her, if do des-
pise that mob of q George Smythe
she is going to marry"
AI'm SO sorry" said my wife con-
tritely, land here we might have
gone as we'll as not if / hadn't sold
your only black suit. 1t did look
real nice, and quite as good as new,
l dare say, by lamplight I:could have
worn my wedding dress, and we
could have made very decent ap-
pearance. It is too bad!'' .-
She began crying again. I said
would go away and never come back
if she didn't stop. Suddenly she
jumped to her feet and said excited
ly: "
"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 pockets.
Let us hurry right down to his store
and buy it back. We can tell him it
was a mistake, as it truly was. Let
us hurry right off,
: Wereached the uninviting store of
B. Isaacs, dealer in secondhand and
misft garments, in about fifteen
minutes, but the suit was gone!
IL haf just sold it no more as dree
minutes ond a half ago. 1t was not
verth much. I makes me no m moneys
on dot suit. 1t wood not fit a man
dot Ways anything at all.'
Traced nngrily out OF the store.
"Well," | said, as we walked moodi-
ly homew;.rd, ''I'm not the only 100
pound six-tooter in the town. That's
evident. I'll keep my eyes on the
other living skeletons, and if I find
the one who has my trowsers, I'll
have them back again by fair means
or foul.''
kept a sharp lookout for lean
men during the next week, and was
gratified to discover that there were
fifteen or twenty in the city as lean
as myself, butall ofthem were saved
the humiliation of being informed by
me that they were wearing nv
clothes, a humiliation that might
not perhaps have been lessened by
the offer of 25 that intended MAX
ing for their return.
AS the evening before the wedding
before referred to drew near our de-
sire to attend it increased, and at
last l said to my wife:
1Well, just cannot afford to get
me another full dress suit that I
might not need again for ten years.
iii stay at home forever and wear
rags and tags before I'll wear a
hiredsuit- But we can at least, go to
church. 1t is to be q church wedding,
you know, and l can wear an ordin-
'ary business suit and oyercoat to
the churchill I don't find 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 festive garments less noticeable.
If it wasn't for Helen I wouldn't
go at all" I said as we sat in the
church, awaiting the coming of the
bridal party. II cannot endure
Smythe. He thinks himself vastly
superior to me, and makes me sick
with his talk about fashions and
best society and all that. It makes
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