The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-07-08
Mrs. Stones Mistake.
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By ELLA wills e.


&XxA0t6R of toast, she picked up h'
newspaper he had tossed
20 the floor and glanced hurredly
over IL.
Time had been when his remarks
about the unbrowned omelette, the
charred though scarcely warm toast
and the muddy coffee would have dis
solved her In tears. Now she did not
give a second thought to his assertion
that they were really less comfortable
with two servants than when they had
begun with none.
Neither did her mind revert 10 the
time when her every move from the
moment he went TO his Office In the
morning till his coming home at eve
was one grand rally against domestic
friction.
Though she had never thought OF IT,.
her efforts to please him had ceased
with his failure to show appreciation.
ut seems as If Vincent thought
things just grew as he likes them" she
had sobbed TO herself one evening,
three years after their marriage. when
she had quite outdone herself on a
piece Of drapcry, and he had gone TO
the library without so much as an ap-
preciative syllable.
1t had been months since she had
studied books of leciTes. Holding
open the newspaper, she took a fugi-
tive glimpse OF the births marriages
and deaths. Another turn, and with
the keenness of long practice, her eyes
fell upon the columns ;eeming with ad-
vertisements.
She settled herself as one does In
reading an interesting book when one
feels that the real pith Of the thing is
about to transpire.
Eagerly she scanned the lines just
as she had done every morning since
they had moved into their fine new
house. nearly two years bafore.
"Ah"' with unconscious fcrvency,
''they have few more of those Jap
anese teapots at ninety-eight cents, and
now can replace the beauty that Vint
broke-on purpose, too, I'm sure. And
no, never saw anything like them at
penny under s1.50."
Her eyes ran excltedly down the col
umn.
And, as l live. another slaughter In
those exquisite little Dresden cups and
saucers j must hurry 10 get there
before the pick of them is gone" and
without another thought In her head
Amelia Stone was hurrying out of her
pretty dining room, when the cook
lnnplya1 nd MI hx, hn nnnngitn
door IL had forgotten about dinner"
Amelia said, with an impatient frown
"What have we?"
Chicken enough left for n salad"
snake it,"
"And the tomatoes that were not
touched ! put on the ice"
"Um. stew them TO serve with sir
ioln steak, which l will order to be
sent" ana she turned TO go.
And the dessert, ma'amY"
"Oh-h," mentally floundering. "welh
! will leave that TO you" and then she
hurried up stairs and into her trim
walking costume.
When Vincent Stone came hone that
evening there was an expression ON his
strong face of determination, though
his wife was too tagged with the ex-
element of the day TO notice It,
IF you don't say something to the
cook about spelling food I SHALL" he
said, when he had cut into steak
which, though burned TO n clnder on
the outside, was otherwise perfectly
raw, "and. now think of IL. IL seems
strange. Amelia that you haven't the
slightest executive ability"
II thought you liked your steak
rare she rejoined, absently, ignoring
the last part Of his speech. She was
looking admirlngly over his head Mt
Chinese cracker jar on the polished
mantel. II was the last OF the days
purchases, and she had crowded IL i'm
with the blsque statuettes, the Dres-
den, Chelsea. lockwood, Hungarian
ware, and Heaven only knows what.
He did not trust himself TO reply.
For the same reason he had held his
peace with the soup. which he could
taste after the dessert. Just like the
good and bad all through life; the good
touches the palate feetingly. but the
bad makes up times over again.
He arose, but before turning TO 60
said:
IL should want to talk with you IL
were not so completely out of sorts"
"Say what you choose" she rejoined.
coldly. the memory Of the broken tea
pot ranking in her bosom.
Some new ornaments in the cabinet
behind his wife at this moment met
his gaze, and only infurlated him the
more.
mot here. Heaven forbid! This
curiosity shop"
But just here he made n sweeping
gesture with his left hand and moved
down the little crop Of bric-a-brac on
chat end OF the mautel with a rattline
crash
"You-you-" gasped Amelia. spring
ing TO Der feet. and for the second un
able &c say more. my treasures-and
broken 10 bitsr'
'Treasuresl Trash he disgustedly