Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-07-08
He WON HIS BET.

Don't L enjoy as much OF 1t as you do!
l tell YOU
What you have told me a thousand
times before
Jack, what do you have against the
women anyhow"
'Oh, guess l know thing or two
about them, and they're all alike.
You re cranky. Look herel Take my
own CASE
YES even your own case"
Jack, what do you mean"
THAT your wife is handsome. intell-
gent, clever, yet for all that
"Well?"
AS jealous as''-
Jack, you re joking. Why, I've been
married five years and have two
Don't care if you have dozen.
She's jealous, and / can prove it to you
in less than week. p"
"Ridiculousp
"Ill bet you dozen bottles OF cham
payne on il. | cam
"Get away. You're
Take me up if you dare. ="
"Take you up? OF course will, and
we might as we'll have the first bottle
now at your expense because
"We'll see.
why, Jack, the excursion we are
going on tomorrow will take us three
days, and you will have only four left F"
Never mind. I've thought of that "
The next day they arrived at their
destination, the little summer resort in
the mountains.
John, my sister is going to join us
here, and as I'll be tugging my camera
about shall have to leave her to your
tender mercies mostly.
"Your sister, Jack. Why, haven
seen her since you and l were at college
together, and she was just little girl
then. How delightful!'
Then followed two days Of tramping
about in the mountains, fine weather,
grand scenery, a glorious time and then
away again. Two days later Jack called
at the home of his friend. John is not
there, and that he knew beforehand, but
his wife is. OF course the little trip
Jack and John have made together be-
comes the subject Of conversation.
Yes, indeed, we had a most delight
full time. The weather, the mountain
air and the scenery-oh, l enjoyed it
ever SO much, and so did John. He was
very much taken with the trip, and
his only regret was that you weren' {
with us to enjoy it too.
Indeed Well, it was very nice
| for him to remember me, but really
preferred to stay here at the seaside
with the children, especially as l am
not very fond of the mountains anyhow.
Yet John has been telling me so much
about it j almost wish l had gone.
Eyes, I'm sure you would have en-
joyed it. OF course l had my camera
with me, and took some pictures-snap
shots. Oh, nothing special Merely
amateur work, but thought you might
enjoy looking at them, and SO have
brought up some Of them for you.
will just leave them here, so you can
look them over at leisure.
well, how kind you arel OF course
| shall enjoy them ever SO much"
1.-Two hours later John comes home
and finds his wife wearing look on
her face as threatening as cyclone
storm cloud.
"That must have been fine time you
had OH your trip"
Certainly. Haven't l been telling
you about it till my tongue almost
won't wag any more?'
"Oh, yes, indeed. l know you"
why, Lottie, DEAR
Don't you 'Lottie, dear me. know
just what kind of time you have had,
and I've got it in black and white too.
Oh, yes, you needn't look SO innocent /"
Why, Lottie, told you about all
the places we went to and all the people
we met.
Yes, and who is this woman with
you who"'-
That? Why, that is Jacks sister
merely forgot
"Oh, yes, you can't work that on me.
There, how tenderly you help her across
the stile, there eating from the same
lunch basket, and there even actually
holding her in your arms You misera-
ble"-
why, Lottie, she stepped on stone
and would have tripped and fallen il l
hadn't caught her, but where did you
get these?''
THAT nice friend Of yours was kind
enough
THE rascal. +"
How mean in him to give you away
indeed. "
"A dozen bottles of champagne, "
and then he broke down, and he laugh
ed till he cried. while his wife looked
on, half wrathful, half inclined to join
in his merriment, but utterly at sea as
to the cause of it. Then he confessed 1t
all, and she laughed, too-laughed till
the tears streamed down her face, but
Jack laughed last, and he had the best
laugh of them all.
And Jackl Well, he doesn't seem to
have had any very serious objection
against women. after all, for he got
married lately-married Lottie's sister,
who is so much like Lottie that people
say if il wasn't for the slight difference
in their age they never could tell them
apart Exchange.
Cyclists and Farmers.
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