Charlevoix county herald., 1911-09-02
Joyce's NarrolU
Escape


back?"
in a minute" answered Joyce, as
he tugged with refractory collar"
Mrs. Joyce stood before him with
her hands hanging Imply at her
sides while Joyce struggled and pull
ed, buttoned one button and unbut-
toned half a dozen. At last he I'm
ished his task. But Mrs. Joyce still
stood before him, waiting expectant-
ly. He smiled at her and then turned
to the work of getting his collar ad-
justed.
In a few minutes he was deep in
the problem of choosing a tie, and so
Mrs. Joyce turned slowly away. She
was hurt and disappointed. She had
devoted two whole days to shopping
that she might get the exact shade
of lavender for the new gown which
she was wearing, because her hus-
band had admired a costume like 1t
on a model in a window of one of the
shops. Now he didn't even notice
that she had on new gown.
She waited all evening for him to
say something about it. But they went
to the theater and returned and then
had little lunch, and she had gone
into kimono and slippers, and still
he did not mention the new gown.
Louie" she said when she could
stand 1t no longer, you never even
noticed that had on a new gown to-
night"
Joyce looked at her for a moment
and on his face was a tolerant, for
bearing smile, such as one uses when
one humors a child.
$50 you thought | didn't notice II,
eh?" he replied. Then he chuckled
as though it were a good joke. well,
l am better buffer than thought"
"It's funny you did not say word
about it," Mrs. Joyce was plainly
skeptical.
mo, and I didn't say that
thought you the handsomest woman
in the theater, but that's exactly
what I thought" Joyce was congrat-
ulating himself.
Mrs. Joyce smiled, but persisted.
'Tll bet you don't even know what
COlOr my new OreSS is.
"Oh, l don't?" exclaimed Joyce.
'Well, I'll just bet you a five-pound
box of candy that l do. l will prove
how much l know about it by telling
you the next time you wear the
gown Surely, he thought, something
would happen in the meantime to get
him out of his dilemma.
.;e Y
know a better way than that You
may stop at Getem's tomorrow and
have sent out three yards of satin to
match it," Mrs. Joyce winked at her.
self in the mirror.
Great Scott" groaned Joyce to
himself. Then aloud ne said, Right"
Then he fell to wondering how he
could ever identify that dress. Then
he suddenly remembered that it had
some kind of bead work over the up
per part of it. Then he smiled to
himself
Several hours later Mrs. Joyce was
awakened from a sound sleep by the
thought that burglars had broken in
and were trying to steal her new Law
ender gown. She felt for her hus-
band, but could not find him.
"Louie!" she called. where are
you?"
Here" Joyce answered, his voice
coming from the next room.
did you hear anything? What are
you doing?" asked his wife.
81 thought l heard something and
l got up to see what it was, but be-
lieve it was only the cat Let's go
to sleep and forget it," said Joyce.
miss Hawkins" called Joyce to
his stenographer the next morning,
will you go to Getem's and have
them send to Mrs. Joyce three yards
of satin to match this sample? And
he took from a pocket a tiny parcel
and, unfolding it, disclosed to view a
piece of lavender silk about a half
inch long.
Miss Hawkins eyes twinkled as
she touched a piece of paper with
the faintest suspicion of mucilage
and softly dropped the tiny bit of
floss upon it.
That's so 1t will not blow away"
she explained.
ut is kind of SMALL" admitted
Joyce, but a fellow can't get much
of anything from the inside edge of