The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-09-01
"A Borrowed
Dress Suit
BY j. A. HAMMOND
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IN EGRET quite impossible to let
n you have suit for this even
ing
For the fourth time Smithers read the
telegram through. He felt that his posi-
ton was critical. 1t was already past
five o'clock. At seven he ought to be
entering the dining-room at Dulwich
with-he hoped it would not be with
Mrs Rogers, though he regarded her
with the tender interest due to the
mother of Miss Emily. For the past
week he had dared to dream that per-
haps Emilys arm might be allowed to
rest within his own. He had gone fur
Their He had even hoped that during
the evening he might feel emboldened
to ask for more than the lady's arm
for something far more intimate and
tender-in fact for Emily's heart. Now
all these enhancing visions were help
lessly dashed to the ground: Why had
he been such credulous fool as to believe
in 1ailor's promises? How he cursed
the day when he had been attracted by
the advertisement, why wear old
clothes, when they can be made as good
as new by William the Conquering Tail
or?' True, the waistcoat had failed to
keep pace with his waist and the one
time silk-rolled collar had begun to re-
veal secrets that even the skilled appu-
cation of ink could not hide. Still. I'M
der the kindly gaslight it might have
done duty once more.
Smithers stared gloomily out of the
window. There was nothing to see buS
the house opposite, but suddenly from
that opposite house came an idea
Johnson had gone to Margate for a
weeks holiday. He was not likely to
have taken his dress clothes with him.
and he and Johnson were more or less
Of q size. It would not take long to
run across to Johnson's rooms. He
sould easily smuggle the clothes out
without the landlady's notice, and II
he took them back early the next morn
ing who would be the wiser?
Ten minutes later Smithers, rather
pale and little out Of breath, was back
In his rooms disgorging the dress suit
from under his overcoat After ALL"
be reflected, as he shook the clothes
carefully out, Fate has not served me
badly. l hardly dared hope to get it
out unseen" He surveyed himself in
the glass anxiously. They're a bit
large, but they might be worse" he said
as he took flower from off his sponge
and placed it in his buttonhole.
Such was his anxiety not to be late
that he was at Rosa villa fully half an
hour too soon.
Perhaps it would hardly be god
manners to arrive quite so early" ne
observed, as he looked at his watch.
Id better walk up an down few times"
Precisely at three and one-half min
utes to seven he onobtrusively pulled
the bell 1t occurred to him after some
minutes OF patient waiting that perhaps
after all he had not made himself
heard. This surmise was probably
correct, for the second time his hand
was still on the bell when tho door
,prang open.
Mrs. Rogers was delighted that Mr.
omltners na0 Deen able to come. The
Misses Rogera were equally delighted,
And Smithers, catching sight of his
clothes in mirror, felt that he, too.
had every reason to be glad that he was
there.
The clock had already struck the
quarter and general air OF expectancy
pervaded the room. Mrs. Rogers, EN-
IDENTIFY getting fdgety, rose and held a
whispered consultation with her daugh-
ters Conversation, which had been
ierky, Jagged and finally stopped alto
gether. when Mr.. Rogers appetite, get
ting the upper hand of etiquette, ex-
claimed:
My dear, don't think it's any good
waiting any longer for Johnson"