Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-11

IL was fearing he would crawfish, SO
had one of those s25 Panamas before him
almost before he had asked for It, He
tried it on and 1t fitted him perfectly and
became him exceedingly well. He gazed
hungrily at the effect in the glass; but for
all that. l could perceive that he was be-
ginning to cave.
"'How much, did you say?' he asked me,
to gain time to think 1t all over again, for
he knew perfectly well the price of the hat
II told him the price again, and he dug
uncertain hand into his trousers pocket
and brought out a fair-sized roll of bills,
probably half a months pay.
WELL said he, hoarsely, I guess I'll
and then he took another look in the glass
at the effect of the Panama his head.
Then he collapsed all of a sudden.
why, blame my fool hide, she'd break
my burned neck! he exclaimed, pulling the
hat off hts head and laying it down on the
counter in plain state of panic. She sure
would! Gimme just an ordinary straw hat
for about s. and let er go at that I'm not
going to lose out my happy home for
hat, and that's just what I'D happen IL I'd
stake myself to this S25 piece bad as
want It.
II sold him round straw hat for a couple
of dollars. and he wore it out of the store
with an expression of disgust, casting long
ing eyes upon the Panama that he'd been
compelled to turn down for the sake, as he
put it, of a peaceful home.
"a whole lot of men that come in deter
mined to go out with Panamas that have
caught their eye renege before they actually
invest There was one like that only this
morning. After fuSsing around for three
quarters of an hour. trying on different
grades of Panamas he finally compromised
a round So coarse-straw affair.
. I'm sorry to've put you to all this
bother he said to me before going out, but
the fact is I've been trying to screw up
the nerve to buy Panama all the time
I've been in here, and / find that l just
give my wife too big bulge on the situa-
ton. 1t was only last Easter that I came
near tearing the fiat up by the roots be-
cause she blew $50 for an Easter hat, and
now IL I'd ronlp home with one of those eX-
pensfve Panamas on my head she would
hurl my inconsistency at me to the last day
of my life
Another man of that same general sort
puttered around for q while before he ac-
tually did buy and pay for one of the S25
Panamas. He chuckled a good deal as he
passed over the money, and as he seemed
so distraught and perturbed while making
his selection / had to look at him inquir-
ingly.
Wondering what ails me, hey? he said
when he had noticed my inouiring look
Well, it's this: I've had a bully idea with
in the past three minutes I've been trying
to figure it out how I'd ever be able to
spring it my wife that I'd paid all this
money for Panama Shed have fourteeen
different kinds of conniptions. ysee. Well
a great scheme has just occurred to me.
I'm going to tell her that l bought the
blamed thing for three n-a-half at the
dead letter office sale. She never reads the
papers, and she won't know whether there's
a dead letter Office sale going on now or
not. How's that for a scheme, pail?
Il told him that It was all right. and he
went away chuckling
Others of the chaps who drift In for