Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-06
MRS. JOBSON'S DIPLOMACY

spect to the usual spring time augmenta-
| lions to Mrs. Jobson's wardrobe-regard-
| ing which. by the way, Mrs. Jobson hadn't
said word
Lets see,'' said Mr.. Jobson, throwing
down his paper one evening, when does
| Easter happen this year?"
| Mrs. Jobson consulted yearbook at
| hand, and gave Mr. Jobson the informa-
| ton
I'm" said Mr.. Jobson, grimly. IT'S
| a wonder, Mrs Jobson, that you have not
begun. according to your usual custom at
about this period of the year, to throw out
| sundry and divers insinuations as to how
| ragged you are, and how you haven't
! thing fit to wear outside of your own back
| yard, and to drop little hints as to the
| list of toggery with which you hope to
| decorate yourself by the time the crocuses
| begin to pop"
oh" replied Mrs Jobson. amiably, 81
| suppose / have enough things to make over
| for the coming spring. L really shall not
need many new things am not worry
| ing" she added, as she complaisantly
| stroked the cat.
| "Uh-huh," grunted Mr.. Jobson; that's
what you say now But when the first
| balmy day indicative of the arrival of
! spring drifts along youth no doubt be pull
| ing long face according to schedule, and
| looking as if you were pining away, and
then you'll be telling me that you're posi-
| lively ashamed to be seen in the street,
you're shabby
Mrs. Jobson continued smiling and strok-
| ing the cat.
"Just wait until do those things, that's
ALL she replied, sweetly. Her mildness
seemed to increase Mr.. Jobson's acerbity.
There's no need for me to wait Mrs.
| Jobson." he growled. Its the same old
nostications. founded on long experience,
| don't come out wrong once in a million
times Anyhow I'll bet horse and buggy
| that you've got enough fine clothes packed
| i,,t 1na atf 1nfh hoe hat
| worn more than once or twtce-to dixie all
| the young women of Vassar College out
| like birds of paradise"
Mrs. Jobson smiled so blandly at Mr..
Jobson that he got up and paced the floor
| to get away from her cheerful gaze.
And it's about time you overhauled some
of that stuff" he went on, and used it
| up. It's time you got rid of the idea that
| your husband is one Of the directors in the
steel trust If you think that you can't
get along and be moderately happy without
| $500 or $500 worth of new clothes every
time the hyacinths take the notion to peek
| out Of the ground why
-Four or five hundred dollars WORTH"
put In Mrs Jobson, looking UP with an ex-
preston of polite surprise.
| That's what l said" repeated Mr.. job
son, grimly, -four or five hundred dollars
worth; L guess seven or eight hundred dol
| lars worth would be nearer the mark"
at which Mrs. Jobson had to cover her face
| with her handkerchief to suppress her
| smiles I'm going to get along with my
| old wearing gear this year. and 1 guess
you can squeeze through with those thirty
or forty spring costumes and the fifty or
| sixty hats that you've got stuffed away in
those cedar chests upstairs
| Mrs. JobSon, to Mr.. Jobson's obvious dis
| appointment, made no reply. but picked up
her book and went reading where she
had turned the corner of the page.
Early last week Mrs. Jobson's women
| friends began to drop in on her after din
| ner, when Mr. yobson was at home They
kept on dropping in that way, different
ones. nearly every evening last week. and
| they kept it up on the evenings of this
| week. They exchanged meanngful glances
| with Mrs. Jobson when she met them in
| the hall, and then passed in to greet Mr..
Jobson. Young. middle-aged and elderly
women they We're all finely gowned. From
the first of these visitations Mr.. Jobson re-
marked, after their departure, upon how
| finely they were arrayed:
Handsome toys that womans got on,
eh?" he would say to Mrs. Jobson, who
seemed to have fallen into the habit of
putting on her oldest and most unbecom-
ing wrappers. and then she would say
Yes and make no further comment.
Il liked the dress that Mrs Kaystreet
had on said Mr. Jobson after the depart
ure of the neatly-clad Mrs. Kaystreet on
the following evening.
did you?" said Mrs. Jobson. glancing at
her worn wrapper and then going on with
her reading.
Mrs. Twoblocks had on?" remarked Mr.
Jobson when Mrs. Twoblocks had made her
exit.
yes" said Mrs. Jobson; "she is a yery
well-dressed woman, Mrs. Twoblocks"
| Out of the tail of her eye she caught
Mr.. Jobson sizing up her worn wrapper on
several occasions after the calls of her
handsomely dressed women friends and
she felt that her win-out wasn't far Off
A few evenings ago four Of the oid-time
married women friends Of the Jobsons
Just dropped In" on them; they had been
to a guild meeting, they said They were
most deliberately gowned and bonneted.
Mr.. Jobson sized them up critically, and
when they had gone he turned to Mrs.
Jobson and said:
What are all these women coming
around here for lately-just to show off
their spring clotheS?"
"Oh. no. replied Mrs. Jobson. They've
just happened to drop in. that's ALL"
Mr.. Jobson took a turn or two up and
down the room with his hands in his peck
cts and then he turned to Mrs Jobson.
IT'S a wonder to me-" he said, that
you wouldn't make some sort of an effort
to fix yourself out like some of your women
friends. None of them has got anything
on you in the matter of looks, and 1 should
think you'd take pride In keeping your
self looking up to date and Stylish like
these women that've been around here
lately. The last few times I've taken you
out I've noticed that you've looked mighty
dowdy. Have you made any move yet
toward securing yourself some spring
duds?'
Well. replied Mrs. Jobson, Il have been
Making over eh?' broke in Mr. Jobson
stopping and gazing at Mrs. Jubson stern
ly. Dye call making over getting your
self logged out decentiy like these other
women? Who ever required you to do any
making over, anyhow? l tell you what, I'd
hate to let myself slump like you have, II
I were a woman. l want you to go right
down town the first thing after breakfast
tomorrow morning, Mrs. Jobson, and get
some up-to-dat ate clothes for yourself like
these other Women are Haunting around
Dye 'spose I'm going to have em chasing
in here and lording It over you with their
swell raiment? The trouble with you
Mrs. Jobson, is that you're too stingy for
any use, and You hate to spend a dollar
to make yourself look presentable. You
just name a figure that it'll cost to make
the first moves toward getting ,urself
rugged out right, and I'll write you out the
check. Huh! the idea of the wives Of a
lot of buffers that 1 could buy and sell
coming parading around here in their pea
cock outfits, while etc., etc.
All of which explains why it is that the
diplomatic Mrs. Jobson is wearing a con-
tented, slow burning smile on her features
| hu no 10