The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1907-11-28
Their Trip to Europe
By Virna Woods
(copyrIgnt)


: The fourth month they resoluteiy
| turned their eyes from the attrac'
lions of the show-wlndows and would
not see the empty hooks and wall
spaces they had already filled In thelr
/ imagination.
1t was happy day for Sylvia when
| she had balanced her Housekeeping ac'
counts and found a surplus OF the
amount they had agreed upon as the
monthly contribution to their EURO
! pean fund
81 will take it to the bank this very
day." she decided; for If / DON'T
burglar might take this inopportune
/ time to rifle the house
She told her husband of her deter
mination at lunch and when he came
home in the evening It was with the
thought that she would meet him with
| the announcement that the European
| fund was started But she did not
come into the hall as he entered, and
she was not in the parlors or the din
ing room. He found her at last in the
/ bedroom, sitting in rockingham I'D
an attitude Of detection
Good heavens, Sylvia" he eN
claimed. whats the matter? Is some
one at home sick or--or dead?'
His wife shook her head. She had
risen and stood dropping before him,
her hands clasped her eyes down
cast.
Chester" she said, with unusual
solemnity, 81 have done something
dreadful"
The anxiety Of his face relaxed;
and seating himself in the chair she
had vacated, he drew her down on his
knee.
What terrible thing have you
done?" he asked, smiling.
81 have spent the money!" she burst
out desperately.
Spent the money! he echoed.
Yes, the European money" she
replied. q was taking 1t to the bank
and l had to pass Johnson e. Bays,
you know; and they had the most ex-
quisite Castellina marbles in the win
dow. There were three Venuses and
Cupid and Psyche and Gladiator
and the loveliest Apollo. They have
never had anything of the kind here
before, you know; and l could not re-
vist going in to look at them. Then l
thought how lovely the Apollo would
be in that empty corner in the front
parlor. And | KEEP looking at it until
it seemed to me it was the one thing
| wanted to make me completely hap
py. After a while a lady came in and
said she wanted to select a piece and
she looked at the Apollo. Then IL
said l had already decided to take it..
| After that the clerk asked me If
I had a pedestal or a suitable table for
| it; and / knew i hadn't. So | got an
onyx table, it had to be nice one,
you know, and-and it took all the
money"
She looked at him anxiously, like a
| repentant culprit. For a moment he
| regarded her gravely, then he broke
into laugh.
We'll" he said, 81 can stand it if
you can It's only another month
added to the time
You're so good to take it that
way" she said. But this is the last
thing l shall buy; I'm determined on
that"
But show me your acquisition" he
said; I'm burning with impatience to
see it,"
She led the way into the parlor and
pointed to it tragically. The pure
translucent marble was carved in a
| figure of the most exquisite grace
Sylvia sat down and sighed deeply.
It's lovely" she said; but cannot
help feeling sorry that | got it."
AS time passed she could not throw
off the feeling, and the statuette be
came kind of Moloch on whose altar
she sacrificed her desires. She haC
intended making little visit to hel
mother this month, but she gave il
up.
Il cannot afford it," she explained
to her husband, because I got the
Apollo"
And the money for railroad far,
went into the European fund.
She wanted a new hat and the lates
thing in belts; but she looked at tn,
Apollo and put the thought aside.
One evening her husband aske,
her If she would like to go to tn,
opera the next night.
do you think We had better?" sh,
said seriously You know we hay,
the Apollo"
That is So" he replied; I'VE vii
add the money to the fund"
The months slipped by, each on
marked by deposit for the fund.
Sylvia could never quite forgive hel
self for her one extravagance; sh
would not read the advertisements O
bankrupt sales. Whenever she wa
tempted to indulge in a picture O
vase she remembered the Apollo.
When the marble statuette had bee
in the house a year they found tina
they had saved the requisite amour
for their trip Their preparations wer
soon made, and they stood one do