Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1910-02-17
UNMAKING A
MISER
How Mrs. Toomey Reformed Her
Stingy Husband

Mrs Toomey.
do you think so?" asked Mr.. Too
mey.
And as he hangs his hat on the peg
(the cool, unresponsive NAM let us
look we'll at Mr.. Toomey and contem-
plate miser in the making.
He was then, one of those gentle
men who never spend an unnecessary
penny until they have scrutinized the
Indian with such an intensity that the
Indian trembles and turns his face
away. He didn't hail the empty
taxicabs on hot nights because troll
ley rides come cheaper, and he side
stepped the trolleys because when he
took Mrs. Toomey it cost 20 cents to
| go there and back, and 20 cents is
more than days interest on thou
sand dollars, and who was Mr.. Too
| mey that he should waste the inter-
est on thousand dollars? Echo an
swers, "Who, indeed?" And as Echo
answers we will turn our gaze back to
Old Economy and give few specifi-
cations as well.
Brows: bushy.
Eyes: fierce from scrutinizing the
Indians.
Mouth: set.
Chin: very firm.
And as for Mrs. Toomey, it will suf-
flee to say that she was frail, little
woman.
Yes, such were Mr. and Mrs. Too
| mey on that hot evening when Mr..
| Toomey came home fresh from his
fan in the Office and his evening ride
on the 81" and found Mrs. Toomey
sweltering in the kitchen, where the
temperature was at the fever point
and the humidity was somewhere be-
tween apoplexy and that degree of
vapor that is necessary to steam the
most abdurate of CLANS.
"Of course" said Mr.. Toomey in a
judicial manner, 1.-THE summer is al
ways hot. Else" he added, "of course
it wouldn't be summer"
He drew his chair to the open win
dow and settled himself to pass
pleasant five minutes in thinking of
his balance in the bank. A crash
from the kitchen brought him back to
earth with another crash.
whats the matter?" he called.
Silence answered him.
drop something's" he asked, hur-
rying to the kitchen as this phase Of
the situation presented itself with a
financial clarity that was vivid nearly
to the point of blindness Break any
thing?"
Mrs. Toomey was sitting in chair
as limp as one of those steamed clans
above mentioned, and only a trife
more vocal.
20, DEAR" she murmured, 'I think
nearly tainted"
"Fainted?" he said. "Fainted?"
TITS the heat. o, dear! / was TAX
ing the rice pudding out of the oven
and all at once"
| She made a feeble little motion.
ct fell and broke"
Mr.. Toomey's anguished eye took
in the wreck.
all over the hash"
Mr.. Toomey swallowed hard.
and spoiled your dinner
And few minutes later when she
was carrying the teapot in one hand
and the creamed potatoes in the other
she dropped them both as we'll, and
Mr.. Toomey caught her only just in
time.
| "Jabez," she said, "I-I think you
had better go for doctor"
"Nonsense!" cried Jabez with a ter
rible cry. why, those doctors are
awful people! Why, they run on ter
rible bills! They only guess at it,
too! You're all right, Emmeline," he
eloquently assured her. tits the heat,
that's all. Well go and have look
in the store windows and tnat'n fix
you up. You'll be all right then"
81 hope so," said Mrs. Toomey.
There was poor Mrs. Tibbets. She
began dropping things-nervous and
all run down-and she had to have a
trained nurse night and day for more
than six months"
20, but you've got nothing like
that" urged Mr.. Toomey, horror.
: struck.
i q don't know" sighed Mrs. Toomey;
those people upstairs made me SC
nervous this afternoon with their
noise! They're packing to go on their
vacations-up in the mountains. And
the Perkinses, across the hall, they're
packing, too-going to the seashore-
and what with the noise and one thing
and another Though goodness
knows" she sighed once more, it'll be
quiet enough when they're gone"
And as Mr.. Toomey looks at hel
thoughtfully, SO, too, will we.
She had eyes of trust and the glance
of innocence. She had earrings in he,
ears and finger rings on her fingers
and bracelets on her arms. Her dress
!. too, was a thing ridiculous. Her waist
line was just beneath her arms ant
, she wore so many buttons that 1t be
tokened monomania. And yet-ant
! yet-she looked at Mr.. Toomey an(