Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-09-28
PERCY.
was at work.

was at work.
We had been furnishing-my wife
- and |. We thought we had done it
cheaply. but few charming things in
the bric-a-brac line, added at the last
moment, had SO overbalanced our ac-
count that l felt it imperative to make
up better check than usual that week
on the daily paper upon which l earned
my daily bread.
So was hard at work.
But my wife had been hard at work,
too She had been to Paul Jones' sale
1t was remnant day"-and she had got
a few little things which dear baby alb
solutely had to have, besides a few
more quite Indispensable tribes for her
self-all of them '.dirt cheap" She had
been forced to confess, however, that
the weeks housekeeping money had
been severely encroached upon, and l
am afraid l was not enthusiastic over
the Jones sale.
In fact l took some credit to myself
for my silence both over the Interrupt
ton and over the advisability of the
purchases; did not even endeavor to
otOp uOi " uCh ShS udu NuIChly Sdtucl-
ed up all her little soft parcels and had
deprived ME of her presence.
Instead of chasing the passing cloud
from her sweet eyeS-as knew how to
dol had even heayed a sigh of relief
as the door slammed after her. But,
there. the bills were hanging over my
head, and l had written one para
graph.
So was hard at work, and within
sight Of the end at last. when voice
on the stairs, shouting. 81 know my
way" made me swear a gentle oath
under my breath before the door open
ed and one Percy Falmouth stood be-
fore me.
He was college friepd-one of those
who always prevent one from working,
but to whom one is never able to say
nay.
l smiled a sickly smile of welcome
but even as did so l forgot his offense
in sudden alarm at his appearance.
His face. that was wont to be fresh,
was saliow and gray. and his eye, that
was always merry, was dull and down.
cast.
whats the matter. old mann" said
l. You're down on your luck
1t took him some time to bring the
trouble out, even to me. But at last he
managed it. He was in love.
SIS that ALI" cried l cheerily. "WeIl.
don't be alarmed. assure you, when
you bave got over the beginning it
isn't bad at all"
''It isn't that" said my friend gloom
lily, after pause.
Isn't what?" asked.
sit isn't that l mind being In love"
he explained, "but how am to keep
a wife:"
My chair spun around again Of itself.
"Youi' cried, almost fercely. "Why,
haven't you got $500 year of your
own? and a vision OF the weekly
books and the monthly bills swan be-
fore my eyes and made me run my fin
gers wildly through my hair. You're
a nice one to talk"
Percy smiled sarcastically.
1.-TWO thousand five hundred dollarsr
echoed he. "Why. 1t wouldn't keep her
III uhtCl-WCdl did SuOt DIN PCT
ticoats.'
looked grave Instantly. "Ov' MUIR
INJURED.
And it wouldn't keep any Of them,"
said my friend. rising and throwing
his cigarette away as he warmed to his
subject. "And one wouldn't wish that
1t, should. What man cares to see his
wife looking a trump, and dowdier
than other women? And it isn't only
the clothes; it's the house, and the fur
niture, and the servants, and every
thing. Dinginess is out of date. Peo-
pie don't cover up their carpets with
washing drugget now, or let their
wives go about in linsey-wolsey gowns
and dust the-lnick-knacks, or give