The Virginia enterprise., 1905-07-14
AD0llar
Bill

Il
tive the shock to her pride would
have been correspondingly lighter. But
Mrs. Kingdom has always been positive,
while her later years have been marked
by decided obstinacy of character. The
unaccustomed Observation-Disclosures that
lately has victimized the good woman,
who prides herself on her habitual cor
rectness of behavior, contributed to the
severe fall that Mrs. Kingdom suffered
last week.
She woke on Thursday morning to find
that one of the bad headaches from
which hsheoccasionallys suffers was in full
progress. She knew that not for "a
hours, at least, could she expect cessa-
ton of the dull agony. The morning
mail brought her a note from Mrs. Tay-
lor, who for months has been taking
subscriptions to popular magazines as
means of making money for her
church.
DO not forget" Mrs. Taylor remind
ed her fellow church member, that
you promised to subscribe to a dollar
magazine for the sake Of the guild. To-
day is the last day can wait, my dear.
If am to have the benefit of that dollar,
please send it without delay
Mrs. Kingdom remembered, with a
pang Of distress and annoyance, that
she had promised and fully intended to
send the dollar weeks before. She hated
to confess that she had forgotten, so she
resolved to temper the truth by explain
ing-as was really the fact-that she
had expected to see Mrs. Taylor at one
of the guild meetings, and then and
there deliver the dollar In person. She
did not think it necessary to add that
the matter had not since occurred to
her, although her intention dated back
three weeks.
II must go out and get money Or
der, suppose she groaned, half ris-
ing from her pillows, but with Sec
ond groan she sank back again. Not
for all the magazines in creation could
she get up and dress. And Jennie, the
maid, was up to her ears in ironing, while
not another soul was in the house.
'1ll have to risk the money without
an order, for once" was the final de-
cision of the pale but determined wom-
an. who presently compelled herself to
write brief note to Mrs. Taylor. The
intense pain caused by the effort sharp
ened the tone of the epistle. Mrs. Tay-
lor, sensitive little lady naturally in
clined to depreciation and apology.
was so hurt and astonished by the curt
implied reprimand for having failed to
call for the dollar that she fastened to
send back long, regretful letter ex-
planning that she had understood Mrs.
Kingdom was to send the money to her,
and had delayed writing to ask for it
just as long as she could
"Of all the silly wOmen!" smiled Mrs.
Kingdom, grimly, as she perused the
letter. For Mrs. Taylor, in her haste
and perturbation, had slipped the dol
lar bill into the letter addressed to Mrs.
Kingdom, instead of into the envelope
waiting to go to the magazine office, and
had sent it back to it's sender. Mrs.
Kingdom, still nervous with the after
effects of that awful headache, wrote
another note of yelled reproof Then
she forgot all about Mrs. Taylor and
the dollar until the return mail brought
her second letter from that friend.
Now neither of us can laugh at the
other" explained the latter, for we are
In precisely the same position. for
got and sent you the dollar; you forgot
to send it back to me.''
Mrs Kingdom was simply disgusted.
She knew she had sent the bill back to
Mrs. Taylor. She knew she remem-
bered folding it up as she sat at her desk
and pinning it to the top of her letter.
She knew that Mrs. Taylor had merely
been guilty of another piece of Careless
ness, and had again mis6!rected the
money.
"Ycu should be sure that you are right
before making such sweeping state
ments as that contained in your last let
seT." she spatched time from busy day