The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-30

-G ~ find out that his
wife had absolutely no head for finance
She could not keep accounts They be-
wildcrcd her and always ended in IL
hopeless muddlc. She was like the wo-
man who, being urged to keep some
account of her expenditure, triumph
antly showed her husband her book with
the two entries on the debtor and cred
itors side: Received $50 and spent
it, and who was exceedingly we'll
pleased to see that the $50 on the one
side balanced the $40 on the other.
Lillian had the most vague idea about
checks. 1t seemed to her that if Il book
were filled with unused checks, their
bank account, therefore. was unlimited.
Now there are two things for n man
to do when he finds himself in such u
situation as Tom Axton found himself.
One of the things is wise. and one of the
Things is foolish. If he is Il foolish man
he VIII cndcavor 10 teach his wife how
10 keep accounts. If he is a wise lnur
lie Will simply make up his mind to earn
more money and let the accounts go.
SO Tom AXton, being wise, bothered
his wife very little about accounts.
settled the bills when they came in as
well as he was able, and bent his
cncrgics towards the accommodating of a
good and reliable balance at the bank.
And SO things went on very comfort
ably and pleasantly until winter set in.
One night, when Tom came home.
Mrs. Lillian, who was Il most transpar-
cnt kind of woman, began a convcrsn-
ton on the subject of scalsllln Jackets.
She said that they were most economic
n! garments, that Il woman with n
'scalssiin coat was always well dressed.
That the apparent costliness Of the rar-
mcnt was delusion. that Il woman
who had bestowed upon her Il scalsllin
sacquc at the beginning of hard win
ter had little else to ask for until the
spring.
Tom listened gravcly, and finally said:
There is nothing personal in all this
talk is Thereof
Lillian averrcd that there was not.
and indignantly rcpudintcd the insinu-
alton that She was thinking about her
self at all. She was merely interested
IN the subject in Il general way. And
Tom said quietly:
Lillian, my dear, what is the price of
the particular garment YOU have been
looking at?'
Al this point in the conversation She
came over and sat upon his knee. and
finally Tom received the information
that .erfcctly lovely scalsllin coat
could 10 mad for two hundred dollars.
which was worth at the very lowest
figure, three hundred dollars.
I'm that case" said Tom, cit is
rather pity not to buy it, isn't it?"
and she admitted with some rcluctancc
that 1t was shame to let such chance
go by.
Tom did some figuring, and found
that check for two hundred dollars
would he honorcd ut his bank. and
leave still little credit remaining
flis ovcrcoat was on next morning.
ana he was just about to depart for his
Once when he opened the drawer Of the
taoic III ms room, took out his check
book, and wrote Il check to the order of
his wife for two hundred dollars.
MIS- Lillian was ovcrjoycd, but Tom
was away before she could thank him.
She looked ut the check with the inl,
sun wet upon IT, waved it for a mo-
ment IN the air to dry it and then held il
llghtly with its face toward the open fire
that was blazing on the hearth. How
1t happened She never knew, but the
check gave little curl at the corner
ana burst into flame in her hand She
dropped 1t, tried to snatch it up again.
but the charred remnants escaped ND
the chimney.
Mrs. Lilian's face became as white as
the ashes on the hearth, and she sank
into the armchair beside the fire. COW
ering her face with her hands.
Tom AXton was a somewhat stolid.
quiet, Industrious. unsuspicious man.
He frequently thought his wife triiic
frivolous, but On the whole he rather
liked it.
When he came home that niyht the
door was opened to him by the servant
girl instead of by his wife, which was
unusual. There was panic in her face
"oh. sir!' she said, have you seen
tho misss?"
The missis!' said Tom. "No. Isn't
she hcrc?n
No SIR said the girl, looking as if
she were going to cry, ''after YOU left
TINS morning, sir, she took on awful.
and then she went away. thought
perhaps She had gone to you, SIR"
Tom stood in the hallway without re-
moving his coat, thunderstruck.
Through his unsuspicious mind flashed
the circumstances of the case. The
check for two hundred dollars; the
taking on" and the denarture,