Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-01-05
A o ROMANCE.

but being born in the present age of
grace he fulfilled his destiny by driving
a furniture delivery van for Thornton's
universal emporium. His lower Jaw was
somewhat prominent and his nose was
lattened as though it had served to
cushion a mighty blow. but no one could
look at Jimmy's eyes without knowing
that the blow had been repaid with an
interest so usurious that it must have
greatly resembled the kick of a cannon.
In the good old days Jimmy would
have thrived in a tent, no doubt, or his
headquarters would have been a moated
castle; but moats and tents having gone
out of fashion, Jimmy fourished in a
furnished room on East Twenty-hfth
street. Across the hall lived Kitty. She
had been there a year before Jimmy dis
covered that she, too, worked at the en-
porium. Kitty was in the dressmaking
department. She hadn't been there long
enough to have lost the sparkle of her
eye, but one fine Sunday afternoon while
she and Jimmy were taking a walk It
struck her that she had been there Just
about long enough. Jimmy had been
telling her that he had saved 5000 and
that as soon as he had $500 he was going
to buy a wagon and team of his own
and start in business for himself.
II could make $50 a week easily with
my own truck" said Jimmy. And pref
ty soon I'd get another-and then-oh,
my!'
Say" said Kitty. thoughtfully. "You
know Thornton's give two prizes every
year for the best suggestion for trim
ming the windows. The first is 1925 and
the second is $75. and then they give
another 800 for the best inside attrac-
ton. You've heard about it,
"Ye-eh," said Jimmy. But what a
driver knows about trimming a window
you could stick in his eye and it would
MT hurt him any"
"That's what's going to make it all
the easier for you"
"What? Me?'
"Why not? They'll be so tickled at
having a driver take an interest in it
that they'll lean your way without
knowing it. And anyhow, your scheme
is going to be the best; so you have
them both w~ays-going and coming"
Jimmy looked to her with a respect
that threatened to overloom the Matter
horn.
What is my scheme going to be?"
he asked.
"A model two-room and kitchen apart
ment for 800, all set up in the window
and furnished complete, with the table
laid out and an easy chair and an old
pipe and a pair of slippers and a bas-
ket of sewing and a piece of needlework
thrown careless-like over the back of a
chair. OF course the sewing isn't a part
of the furniture, but it make it look
honey, and they are the little things
that count. If you know how, you can
make a paper napkin look more than a
$50 sideboard. Wen work it out to-
gether-you and me and
But where do l come in? It's your
scheme, isn't it?"
mo: I'm going in for the second
prize. Don't you worry about me-"
"All the same, if win you're going to
get mine"
"Nixey. You've been driving a furni-
ture wagon for three years now and you
know more about furniture than you
think you do. So quit your fooling and
let's get busy on a list"
For nearly a month they We're busy.
They became experts in semi-extension
dining tables and Satsuma leather
chairs. Piece by piece their imaginary
apartment took shape. Never before had
there been such a juggling of figures.
Once they neared a successful conclu-
sion, only to find out that the dressing
table had been left out, and then, of
course they had to change nearly every
thing on the list.
Couldn't We have a cat in it? Or a
canary?" asked Jimmy when the re-
vised list had been completed. That
might help"
We toh 1 pllOld q III NltIl
we have got up to s99.97. But a cat
wouldn't cost anything and there's a cat
up in the dressmaking department that
would sleep in the window or any other
place you put him. We could lay him
In the easy chair
And a saucer of milk down on the
floor
And a kettle on the stove with real
steam coming out of the spout
And down Dy the side of an easy
chair We'll throw an evening paper on
the foor-not folded up careful, but
looking as if somebody had been reading
the sporting news and was going to read
it again"
Say, Jimmy. You amt as dumb as
you look. Do you know it?'
With rich ella alteration of gesture Jim
my got up. put on his hat, turned to
Kitty and made a low bow as he took
off his hat again. Lady Angelina" he
said, in the basso profundo of true melo-
drama, from the dep's of muh heart I
take off muh hat to you"
Lord Perclval,' cried Lady Angelina,
with proper spirit, Il say to you, 'Oh,
fudge!"
Amt she the great little kidd" thought
Jimmy, beaming. and wistfully he added
to himself, Now if she'd only pull a
smooth
And as though she read his innermost
thoughts kltty screwed up her Saucy
little features and pulled a snoot.
Well said Kitty, what do you
think of it?'
She slowly turned around and Jimmy
sat down with such a wealth of dismay
that the chair creaked. That's a we'd
ding dress, isn't it?" he asked, losing
his nerve for the first time in his life.
Yep" said Kitty. Isn't it a peach?"
But who's it for?"
Looks like mine, doesn't 1t?
Say. you amt going to get married
are you?"
What do you think?' she asked him
Indignantly. do you suppose I'm going
to die an old maid? Forget it,"
She kicked the train behind her and
walked across the room with all the i'm
perious languor of a duchess at a coro-
nation. I've been working on it night
and morning for a month"; she said.
white satin and net, and did you ever
see such a train for the money? The
way I made it, Thornton's could sell it
for $25, and If a s25 wedding dress does
mt take the second prize, little Kitty
misses her guest"
Jimmy drew a sigh of relief that
shook the windows. IT'S a dandy he
cried.
And there aren't many girls in New
York who wouldn't go down to the store
to see a S25 wedding dress. Those lists
have got to be in tonight. Is yours
ready?'
w. - 49,