The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-12-25

''How do you come to know anything
about hiring dress suits?''
why, do you think I'm so homely !
can't have Teller? Or maybe I've got a
lady friend who has"
He took the address of the place she
had suggested and went away, while she
resumed her work, singing like bird
But song was far from his sad heart.
Never had his pride received such a
blow. Compelled to hire dress coatl 1t
seemed to him as if the humiliation of
the shameful deed he contemplated must
be apparent on him.
That evening he escorted Irma Will
marth to the opera, wearing the hired
dress coat. Hardly had they settled COM
fortably in their seats when she began
shifting and looking suspiciously at the
upholstering and tapestry of the box.
Now that his attention was drawn to it
he fancied that he could himself detect
an unfamiliar and unpleasant chemical
odor in the air. Irma raised her glasses
to look over the house, but almost i'm
mediately lowered them again and said
positively:
"I'm sure Of it. They've been clean
ing the plush in this box with some
nasty chemicals, and the smell is over
powering. declare it is shameful that,
when such things are necessary, they
are not done long enough before the
public are admitted for the odors to be
dissipated. This box smells Of that stuff
they put in lamps"
81 noticed it when we came in," as
sented Chester, looking about him in
quiringly and shifting, "but it seems to
be going OFF. There isn't much of it
now"
He spoke with an easy, nonchalant
air, but knew that it was his dress coat
and not the plush which had given Of
Tense to her sensitive olfactories, and it
made his very marrow cold to think of
her discovering the truth. What would
she say if she learned that the man she
was engaged to marry had to wear a
hired coat?
Luckily the appearance Of some rival
beauty claimed her attention. Then the
curtain went up, and by the time the
first act was over she thought Of the
odor no more.
With the exception Of that one I'M
pleasant incident the evening Wa so
thoroughly enjoyable that Chester for
the time being forgot his troubles and
was happy in the delusive paTclise Of
hope. The music was magnific mt, but
he did not pay much attention to it,
further than to vaguely feel its harmony
with his inmost state Of bei,'g, which,
Athanks to Irma's tenderness was one Of
exultant joy. From behinG her fan she
shot looks Of love at him il response to
the passionate whispers he uttered dur
ing the orchestra's most violent endeav-
ors. One Of her hands, beneath the
friendly concealment Of wrap, from
time to time returned the ardent pres
sure he bestowed upon it. In short, she
was as loving as she was beautiful
When they were riding homeward,
she reminded him Of her birthday party,
to be given a week later, and babe him
be sure to come. 1t would be, she said,
little more than an informal family
gathering, but could not be complete to
her without him. From that invitation
his hope drew most favorable augury,
though the idea upon which it was based
was little warranted. Why, he said to
himself, should she have mentioned it as
more ga family gathering than any
thing else had she not intended to deli
cately convey an intimation that her
stern father was relaxing his opposition
to their happiness?