Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-17
THE EVENING STORY.
THAT REFRIGERATOR.
BY LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY.
Copyright, 1910, by Associated Liter

BY LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY.
copyright, 1910, by Associated Liter
airy Press.)
When George Durham, salesman,
found himself In love with Dolly
Thatcher he sat down to figure. He
natural to him in this case. He
figured that he would propose matri-
mony: he figured that Dolly would
accept: he figured on q suburban cot
tage at certain rent: he figured on
paying SO much for furniture, and his
weekly expenses would be SO much.
1t was very close figuring. It hardly
left anything to buy bottle OF
cough mixture with.
When Miss Dolly had said yes to
the proposition the figures were sub
mitted to her. Like a good girl, she
struck off a little here and there and
showed where they could save least
two dollars a week. That was over
a hundred dollars year 1t was
should live a hundred years they
would have about $4,000 to take to
heaven with them. She knew of a
dozen wives who were piling up bank
accounts on salaries less than George
was receiving. And then his salary
might be advanced. He might be taken
into the firm. He might find $500 in
the street.
The marriage came off, and things
turned out as had been flgured5-all
except one thing. They had listed the
outfit for that little cottage three
times over, but had forgotten a re-.
frigerator. That was because they
were married in March, when it is
possible to set dish of butter out on
a back windoW sill and it will keep
reasonably hard. 1t softens up bit in
May, and when June comes you must
have a refrigerator and ice or dip your
bread into butter OIL
One day in June cold chill struck
the brides heart as an ice wagon
stopped at the house and the driver
came in to see about a contract. Fifty
cents d week for the rest of the sum
mer. No refrigerator! The ice man
went into the house and wept. She
wept because the butter would melt
and the meat wouldn't keep without
ice. She wept because she had made
out the list and left the ice and re-
frigerator. She wept because through
her tears she could see the awful
pallor on Georges cheeks when she
be stunned. He would have to reach
the wall to hold himself up. He
would look at her with accusing eyes,
and at length he would
But George didn't He stood up
under the blow. After the first shock
he even said that they must squeeze
out the money to buy refrigerator
around the little woman and told her
to dry her tears. That's the kind of
man George Burnham was.
Next day Dolly was given all the
dollars he had saved and instructed
to go to a hardware store and, eXer-
else her judgment II he had gone
himself he would have saved two
dollars. There were two refrigerators
built on the same lines, but one had
Q looking glass in the door and the
other did not. That glass added 81 to
the cost, but Dolly took it, She wanted
to see herself as she reached into the
box for meat and butter. She wanted
to feel that in case the glass in her
bedroom blew up she would have an
other to comb her hair by, So
The box was home and filled with
ice when the husband arrived, and SD
far from kicking he even sat down IN
front of the door and surveyed his chin
wlliskers with satisfaction.
For a week or so all things went
we'll Then the shadow fell, The pur-
weekly payment to the Ice man made
the husband hard up. He looked at
that glass in the door and though of
the 50 extra. The ice was so cents q
week. and it was saving about 80 cents
worth Of meat and butter. 1t was bald
faced extravaganza, and who was to
blame for it? Dolly, Of course. She
should be made to feel that she had
ruined ;'leir whole future.
Both felt the shadow. That glass
door reflected it, The ice man sighed
h,1 ,,o in a
Young wife's mother caught on at once.
Even the junk men a passing up and
down the street made their cries more
plaintive to fit the occasion. 1t is not
possible to bring refrigerator with a
looking glass door into woodbine
cottage without something happening.
Two days after the shadow fell man
and wife were not speaking unless
positively necessary. Signs were heard
to come from the refrigerator, and the
glass reflected divorce courts and sui
cides. OF course, the husband was
ashamed Of himself when away from
the house, and of course the wife cried
when she was alone. A week of misery
passed, and then the mother in law
came.
Dolly" she said, you should have
bought the cheaper refrigerator, but
It was only an error of Judgment.
George has no right to act this way.
and we must teach him a lesson. You
are to came home with me for the
night When he comes from the storn
this evening and finds you gone--when
the hours pass and you do not return
when he has passed a lonely night
you will hear no more Of that looking
glass door. He will come to you and On
his Bonded knees and ask your forgive
ness
Dolly didn't believe 1t, but at the
same time felt that something must be
DONE They couldn't go on sulking this
way. She. therefore. agreed to go, but
resolved to slip away after
dark and return. If she found George
with his head on the cold kitchen table
sobbing as if his heart would break she
would go in and make up. If he sat on
the porch whistling some rag time air
she would turn her back on him.
Mr. Burnham arrived home at the
usual hour There was q stern ex-
on his face. He had not,
and never could, forget that 80 extra.
He was having to go without his noon
day lunches on account of it. He ex-
pected to see fearful eyes raised to his
as he entered the door, but there were
na1l 1,o,