The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-01-11

| llLlC, ana ulltEWuIOS OuTlcU I11InSGlf III
| the day beforo's newspaper till bedtime.
| When morning came, he fingered about
after breakfast was over, with no os.
| tensible reason, at last made feint OF
| starting, and then came back again.
"Oh, by the way" he said, with n
| fine air OF carclessncss, 81 had to Dor.
| row some money yesterday"
GLOW much?" asked his better half,
with little blush.
Five dollars
''What for?' trcmblcd on Mrs. Della.
mcteSs lips, but she did not say it. She
simply handed him the exact sum
u guess you'd better let Inc have q
little for car fares while you're about
it."
A ten-ccnt piece was carefully select
cd and laid in his palm.
Mr.. Dclamctcr did not forget his
straitcncd condition that day. lie re-
mcmbcrcd it, Of course, when he sent
the bill to his friend; he felt it when
he passed Il fruit stand on which were
displayed some particularly fine
oranges; it was recalled to his attcn-
ton when the little lame boy with
candy made his usual rounds of the
office; it was painfully present to his
mind when man with subscrip.
ton paper whercon figured the name
OF Dclnmcter came to collect the
money subscribed; and the lack was
kcenly appreciated when he had to
forcGo buying his usual evening paper.
The third day he braced up, and
with reluctance he was wholly una
bic to conceal requested the means
whercwith to buy pair of light trous-
ers.
The fourth day was Sunday. Mr..
Deianctcr 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
Office for his pay, and MIR. Dclamcter,
mumbfing something about pocket
book" and ''othcr pants" sent him to
the house.
The sixth day Mrs. Dclamctcr, with
unloolied-for generosity, gave him fifty
cents when he asked for car fare, and
on the strength of this he hailed Il man
with trawberrics, on the way home at
night. bought two boxes, and found he
was six cents short
The seventh day Mr.. Dclam cter real
lied that the experiment was not work
ing quite in the way he meant il should,
SO he pulled himself together and bold
ly asked for a tcn-dollar bill
What for?" Qucried his wife, as
though with an effort
"I-wcll, | want to get pair OF
boots
Mems boots come high, don't
they faltcrcd Mrs. Dclamctcr, with
an artificial smile, us she opened her
poclictbooll
"Oh, the boots won't be more than
four dollars, probably, but guess can
make away with the rest
Mrs. Dclameter hcsitated, blushed,
bit her lip, then slowly handed out
two two-dollar bills and silver half
dollar.
II guess that will do you, this time"
| She murmurcd, with downcast eyes.
Mr.. Delnmetcr glared 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 damned 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
Mrs. Delamcter 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.. Eclamctcr did actually
come home at the usual hour she hard
ly 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. Dclamctcr 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 pocictbook, into his lap,
and fled
He caught her dress before she had
fled very far, and drew her back
Fannie" he said, with whimsical
seriousness, do you believe there is
money enough in this pocketboolt to
induce some muscular man to kick me
all deserve to be liiclled?"
"Oh, Toni sobbcd Mrs. Delamctcr.
cdh you ever forgive me? You don't
know how hated to be SO hatcful!"
"Oh, come now! Do you pretend to
say you didn't enjoy it?"
"Of course | didn'tr was the indig-
nant answer; and then Mr.. Delaincter
threw his head back, and laughed and
laug he'd.
Finally he sobcrcd down. "Wcn,'
he said, in very busincss-llxc way,
now we'll have this thing fixed up.
Have You any idea how much our house.