The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1911-02-04

Lou Oceu ubeQ. 10 uSuTfuS, anu IL CAME
natural to him in this case He
figured that he would propose matri-
mony; he figured that Dolly would
accept: he figured on 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. 1t hardly
left anything to buy a bottle of
cough mixture with.
When Miss Dolly had said yes to
the proposition the figures were sub
mitted to her. Like good girl. she
struck on little here and there and
showed where they could save at least
two dollars a week That was over
a hundred dollars a year. 1t was
over a thousand in ten years. II they
should live q 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
ind $500 in the street.
The marriage came on. and things
turned out as had been figured-all
except one thing. They had listed the
outfit for that little cottage three
times over. but had forgotten q re-
frigerator That was because they
were married in March, when 1t il
possible &c set dish Of butter out on
Q back window sill and 1t will keep
reasonably hard. 1t softens up . bit
In May. and when June comes you
must have q 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 contract Fifty
cents week for the rest Of the sum-
mer. No refrigerator! The ice man
was sent away and the young wife
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
ont the list and left out ice and a re-
frigerator. She wept because through
her tears she could see the awful
pallor on Georges cheeks when she
explained why she wept. He would
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 ND
under the blow. After the first shock
he even said that they must squeeze
out the money to buy a refrigerator
and take ice. and he put his arms
around the little woman and told her
to dry her tears. That's the kind Of
a man George Durham was.
Next day Dolly was given all the
dollars he had saved and instructed
to go to hardware store and exer-
else her Judgment II he had gone
himself he would have saved two
dollars. There were two refrigerar
tors built on the same lines, but one
had looking glass in the door and
the other did not That glass added
two dollars to the cost, but Dolly took
It. She wanted to see herself as she
reached into the box for meat and but
ter. She wanted to feel that IN case
the glass In her bedroom blew up she
would have another to comb her hair
BY.
The box was home and filled with
ice when the husband arrived, and 80
far from kicking he even sat down
IN front Of the glass in the door and
surveyed his chin whiskers with sat
isfaction.
For a week or 80 all things went
well. Then the shadow, fell. The
purchase Of the refrigerator and the
weekly payment to the ice man made
the husband hard up. He looked at
that glass In the door and Thought
of the two dollars extra The ice was
90 cents week, and 1t was saving
about thirty cents worth of meat and
butter. 1t was bald-faced extrava-
gance, and who was to blame for II,
Dolly. Of course. She should be made
to feel that she had ruined their whole
future.
Both felt the shadow. That glass
door reflected 1t. The Ice man sighed
as he lugged in the frozen chunks.
The young wife's mother caught on
at once. Even the junk men passing
up and down the street made their
cries more plaintive 10 ft the occa-
sion 1t is not possible to bring a
refrigerator with looking glass door
into woodbine cottage without
something happening.
Two days after the shadow fell
man and wife were not speaking un-
less positively necessary. Signs were
heard to come from the refrigerator.
and the glass reflected divorce courts
and suicides. 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.
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