The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-28

row some money yesterday"
slow much?" asked his better half
with little blush.
Five dollars"
what for?'' trembled on Mrs. Della,
meters lips, but she did not say it. She
simply handed him the exact sum.
II guess you'd better let me have a
little for car fares while you're about
it."
A ten-cent piece was carefully select.
ed and laid in his palm.
Mr. Delameter did not forget his
straitened condition that day. He re-
membered it, of course, when he sent
the bill to his friend; he felt it when
he passed n fruit stand on which were
displayed some particularly fine
oranges; it was recalled to his atten-
ton when the little lame boy with
candy made his usual rounds of the
Office; it was painfully present to his
mind when a man with a subscrip-
ton paper wherein figured the name
or Delameter came to collect the
money subscribed; and the lack was
keenly appreciated when he had to
forego buying his usual evening paper.
The third day he braced up, and
with n reluctance he was wholly una
bic to conceal requested the means
wherewith to buy pair of light trous-
ers
The fourth day was Sunday. Mr..
Delameter thought of the contribution
box, and decided he wouldn't attend
church. His head felt badly, he said.
The fifth day the grocer called at the
ofice for his pay, and Mr.. Delameter,
umbling something about pocket.
book" and 'Other pants" sent him to
the house.
The sixth day Mrs Delameter, with
unlooked-for generosity, gave him fifty
cents when he asked for car fare, and
on the strength of this he hailed a man
with straw berries, on the way home at
night, bought two boxes and found he
was six cents short
The seventh day Mr.. Delameter real
lied that the experiment was not work
ing quite in the way he meant it should,
SO he pulled himself together and bold
ly asked for ten-dollar bill
What for?" queried his wife, as
though with an effort.
'I-wcu, l want 10 get 4 pair of
boots
Mems boots come high, don't
they?" faltered Mrs. Delameter, with
an artificial smile. as she opened her
poclSetbook.
''Oh, the boots won't be more than
four dollars, probably, but guess I can
make away with the rest"
Mrs Delameter hesitated, blushed,
bit her lip, then slowly handed out
two two-dollar bills and a silver half
dollar.
81 guess that will do you, this time, I"
she murmured, with downoast eyes.
Mr.. Delameter gIared at her and
made as though he would cast the
money from him. Then suddenly he
seemed to recollect something and
brilliant red color famed up from the
edge of his white shirt collar to the
roots of his hair. He jammed the
money viciously into his breast pocket,
made use of some word indicative of
extreme anger and flung himself out of
the house, slamming the door with
great veheme1ce behind him.
Mrs. Delameter threw herself face
downward on the lounge and cried and
cried. The terrible fear that she had
offended him beyond forgiveness and
that he would never return to her as
sailed her at intervals all through the
day.
When Mr.. Delameter did actually
come home at the usual hour she hard
]y dared raise her eyes to his face. But
he was very quiet, did not slam things
and hardly looked up from his food all
tea time
When Mrs. Delameter had cleared up
the dishes, she slipped up behind her
husband as he sat in the bay-window,
with his elbows on his knees, his face
between his hands, and his eyes on the
carpet, and dropped the bone of con-
tention, the pOcketbook, into his lap,
and fed.
He caught her dress before she had
fed very far, and drew her back
Fannie" he said. with whimsical
seriousness, do you believe there is
money enough in this poclctbook to
induce some muscular man to kick me
all deserve to be kiclted?"
''Oh, Toni" sobbed Mrs. Delameter,
can you ever forgive me? You don't
know how hated to be so hateful"
"Oh, come now! Doyou pretend to
say you didn't enjoy it?"
"Of course didn't"' was the indig-
nant answer; and then Mr. Delameter
threw his head back, and laughed and
laug he'd.
Finally he sobered down. well"
he said, in very business-like way,
now We'll have this thing fixed up.
Have You any idea how much our house
hold expenses are?"
81 have kept account of that, and of
my personal expenses said Mrs. Della
meter, bringing him the book, "but /
did not know how mueh you earned or
how much your expenses were"
Mr. Delameter glanced at the neat
columns, and turned over the leaves to
look at the footing-up for the whole
the total, and made rapid mental cal
culation. Then he gave vent to long,
low whistle.
Fannie" he declared, solemnly,
You are 4 dear little economical white
angel; and am-wen. you don't allow
me to use the sort OF language that
would fittingly describe what l am"
And then Mr. Delametcr proposed
that whenever he was paid of the
housekeeping expenses should be de-
dueted from the amount received and
the rest divided equally between him
self and Mrs. Delameter.
And they followed this plan. and con-
tiaued TO follow il, and it worked like