Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1913-03-07
BUFFET
BY ANNE DEANE.

Mrs. Jones was on her way to the
brokers', in the lower part Of the city.
Her bag contained some bonds that
had to be sold--the last bit Of stock
she possessed. It was lunch time;
and the Quietness Of the narrow
streets. for a belated passerby or So
proved conducive to introspection.
Her thoughts harked back to bygone
days; to the time when her remaining
parent had died and left her, with a
few thousand dollars, in the hrst
bright glow of womanhood. Soon AT
ter that she met Jones. Everybody
thought he was such nice young
man.
So, as his calls grew more and more
frequent, size came to rejoice In the be-
lief that the other girls were secretly
envying her. He bought violets for
her and brought here candy; he was
= very nice young man indeed. There
were old maids in those days, and she
had the common fear and horror OF
being left single-stranded on the
shores of the ocean of matrimony.
One evening he had tremulously asked
her to marry him: and she had as
tremulously answered him. yes.
But that was a good many years
ago. Since then several little Joneses
had come into the world to laugh
and cry. and get married. They must
be clothed and fed; when old enough
to go to school they asked often for
pocketmoney. the girls especially. The
little boys saved theirs.
On making closer acquaintance with
Jones. she had discovered that the
position he held was rather more re-
spectacle than remunerative. In fact,
she didn't see how he could have
hoped to support wife and family on
his salary. He must have been look
ing forward to an early promotion
or else he wasn't looking at all.
But with the help of her little in
come they managed to get along pref
ty we'll, at least until the panic OF
'93. Then many employees were
turned out Of job; and Jones was
one of the number. He comforted
her with the assurance that he had
never been duly appreciated. and 1t
wouldn't he long before his friend,
Mr.. White, could get him a position
worth while.
Meantime they lived on her money.
She shivered at recollection Of the
checks she had written to be cashed
by him in the city. 1t was less pain
full to lend" that way; because he
was enable to keep tacitly to himself
the money he needed for personal ex-
penses.
Bit by bit had her small fortune
dwindled until these few bonds alone
remained. Opportunities for work
had arisen in plenty. but always to be
passed over as too Insignificant. The
places would lower his standing, he
said, hurt his chances for bigger
thin gs. Next week or next month Mr..
Blank or Mr.. Ray has good 'as
promised to procure him this or that
fine position. And the loan, you know,
might 60 through. Then he would
pay her back all he had borrowed"
and they'd be on Easy street for the
rest of their lives. He even had
limited at an automobile; for he fully
expected to get several thousand q
year.
But since time flew by and these
expectations were left behind unful-
filled, it appeared that he had set
greater store by himself than did
others. She thought Of how he would
look when she returned home. There
he'd be sitting, with the eternal paper
in his hand, smoking one cigar after
another. If only he would learn to
like a pipe. Soon after she came In
he'd begin to berate the government
for Its being possible that such q
state Of affairs can exist when"
She was tired of his faulty. These
bonds were the last she had. When
the money for them was gone, what
should she do? Go. to the poorhouse
He wouldn't let her work as long as
she stayed with him, because she was
his wife; and yet he didn't do any
thing himself. She would leave him.
Then she thought Of the children-af'
ter all, they belonged to him, too. But,
pshaw! He seemed to regard them as
a matter of course, not as a charge
("hostages Of fortune" flashed through
her mind.
Was it for this she had promised
to love, honor and obey" him? How
absurd those words sounded In such
a connection! Was she to love man
she rather despised: to honor one
whom she could not admire: to obey
her husband when she did not love
him? She had been forced by society
to promise what she either could not
have helped doing, or could not pos'
sibly have done.
Suddenly the breath was driven out
Of her by blow between the shout.
ders, and her bag jerked from her
hand by man, whom she then saw
disappearing down a side street.
"Oh, stop!" she gasped. "They won't
do you any good"
But he had vanished round a cor
ner.-Buffalo Express.
Fortunes In Songs.