The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-06-22
The Generosity Of Mr.. JObSOl

SdAAIS Sdlu utliSueu Iueielo,
and his affectionate Fluctuations scrawled
on the back of the card.
Mrs. Jobson couldn't understand it.
She turned the violets upside down and
sideways, and studied them from all
points of view. Then she scrutinized the
card as if It were written in Arabic and
the job Of translating it were difficult
and slow.
"Nioletsw said she to herself, wonder
ingly. And from Mr.. Jobson! Let me
recall how many years it has been
But she couldn't recall.
Il wonder if there's anything the mat
ter!' she unused. "Violets! And from
Mr.. Jobson!'
about 3 O'clock and handed Mrs. Jobson
a two-pound box of chocolate creams,
nicely done up. Resting Oh top Of the
candies was Mr.. Jobson's calling card,
his affectionate fluctuations scrawlcd on
the back Of the card.
Mrs. Jobson, tlustered by the receipt Of
the violets, was now completely fabber-
gastetl.
There's something. wrong; I'm sure
there is" she said to- herself. excitedly.
1T can't be that he's dr.? No, that is
out Of the question. Perhaps, though, his
mind is wandering little-he was Eighty
when he had that return of the grippe
in December! What can the matter be?
If he had become little Eighty again
hightiness has taken the form of the de-
lirium Of grandeur that l was reading
about somewhere not long ago. l do wish
that he'd come home so that could put
him to bed and put a mustard plaster
on him and send for the doctor. Good
thing wrong!''
Thus Mrs. Jobson worked herself up
to high pitch Of nervousness. Violets
and candies from her husband, all in one
day! 1t was all very delightfu!-but it
was too delightful. Mrs. Jobson had
foreboding of trouble. However, she
put on her prettiest tea gown. pinned the
Mr.: JObson'S familiar step.
MIR. Jobson got home at the usual
hour: He wore an expression Of be-
where Mrs. Jobson, in saluting him,
found out that he hadn't drank drop.
"Why. YOU dear old extravagant thing.
YOU: she said to him. II never saw
such Such lovely St; violets in my life, and as for
Tut, tut, little one" said Mr.. Jobson
amiable. don't speak of EN-. just hap.
pened to think to send EN- up to you, you
know. and they're no more n YOU de-
serve. at that. tell you what. if l were
rich man, you'd have everything -
But Mrs. Jobson scarcely heard what
he said. Little one!' she was saying
to herself: 'Why;; it's been years and
Have YOU been specializing in stocks,
my dear?' Mrs. Jobson asked him timid-
Stocks? Who. me? Well. I'd like to
t ter mySelf <e said Mr.; Jobson g9od-na-
mer'
Mrs. Jobson looked him over carefully.
but he. was all right so far as she could
see, His extraordinary good nature sat
on him as naturally as if that were his
everyday manner. He stepped out into
the hall for moment. got n package
that he had dropped on the rack in com
ing in and opened it.
Happened to remember, as was
coming up, that you wanted some books y
sad MT. Jobson, in an off-hand way.
=: brought you up few. Hope you'll
j., Mrs. Jobson took the books and looked
them over in a dazed sort of way. They
We're just the books she had been want
ing for a long while-all good, substan-
rruln giving him hug
Why. you generous, silly old thing."'
sne said: Just the books that I've been
plnlng for for ages. Won't you please
tell me what it is all about-what I've
done to deserve all these lovely re-
Never YOU mind" said Mr.. Jobson,
smiling amiably. II only wish l were as
rich as some Of those pinheads that do
not know what to do with their money
if you wouldn't have thumb rings and
AUTOMOBILES and couple O thousands
and silk skirts. and-oh, by the way, that
reminds me. Saw tailor-made dress in
window as | was walking downtown
today that | want you to have. Sign on
1t says that's it's been marked down
from $85 to $50. Don't know whether
that's true or not, but it's a dandy, and
1 ! want yop to get your things on after
dinner and we'll go down and have a
look at it: It's made out O some kind O.
black stuff, with lot of this here frizzy-
why, spangley stuff splattered all over
the waist and skirt-1 dunno know if l
can give you any idea of it, but I'll bet a
hat you'll like it. We can look it over
tbs evening, and tomorrow you can 20
down and buy it. It'll just about fit
you, l should say, from the looks of it. "
Mrs. JObsOn was stunned.
Why, you darling old"
by the way, you might as we'll tOg out
IN your best tonight" said Mr.. Jobson
interrupting her. SCOT a couple of seats
for the theater, and after the show We'll
get bite at-well, any place YOU want
HoW VS. thot?' just make night OF It.
Mrs. Jobson went upstairs and put on
her things i'll trance. She was almost
i'll tears.
81! don't know what in the world I'd
40 If anything was the matter with the
dear, lovely. old"
:. Here her mind wandered into specula,
ton over the strange happenings of the
afternoon and evening. She POT herself
up III her best. and when she descended
the stairs Mr.. Jobson, himself decked out
IN his evening clothes, rewarded her with
a gaze of admiration.
by jove, you do look nice, my dearv'
ne exclai med, quite enthusiastically
I'll bet there won't be n woman in the
and he gave. her a regular old-fashioned
kiss.
,.,M Mrs. Jobson spent the next few hours
like a woman in a dream. The play was
excellent, and Mr.. Jobson was the soul
OF good nature. He said clever things to
her, even made surreptitious love to her
between snt n t 1he a h After the play they
burged Holsters, with sparkling liquid ac-
compartment. Then Mr.. Jobson put her
into stylish rubber-tired hanson and
they bowled home.
MY dear said Mrs. Jobson, plead
ingly, won't you tell me now why
you We Deeu So perfectly love-
A foxy expression crept into Mr.. Job
sons face. which she caught as the han
som passed under an arc light.
"Well, I'll tell you, my dear" said Mr..
Jobson. IL was rummaging in the trunks
in the storeroom last night, wasn't il?
Member that blue serge suit that I wore
when we went to Atlantic City last sum-
mer? Well, in digging through the peck
cts of that suit found two twenties
and ten that you overlooked. The bills
were in an inside pocket Of the vest. l
missed that money when we were down
at the beach. but [ thought I'd lost it.
and so didn't say anything about it to
you. Well, seeing as how you'd over
looked all that real, sure-cnough money!
concluded Mr. Jobson, II thought that
you were entitled to a good time out of
it, anyhow, and"
Mrs. Jobson's face during this recital
was study. ~>
"Well," she said, calmly, when Mr..
Jobson hesitated in his enjoyment of the
situation, II have had perfectly lovely
time, and have no complaint to make.
But those two twenties and the ten were
the bills that you gave me to put in the
bank the day before yesterday. didn't
go to the bank, because it was raining
10 - 4 49, 81. ~