Middletown transcript., 1914-10-10
CHAPTER VlII-continued.


money" by mail from Brand
CHAPTER VIII-continued
She thought of Bob, too. 1t seemed
to Jane that he had worn that faded
tan suit ever since she could remem-
Der. Poor Bob! She wished she
could hurry over to New York, tell
him about their good fortune and di-
vide the hundred with him OF course,
that was out Of the question, but he
would come into his own in the end
and, in the meantime, he should share
her new found wealth to some extent
She would buy him something; hand
kerchiefs, hose and some neckwear.
Christmas and birthdays were the
only time he boasted such luxuries
for he never bought them for himself.
Before she had finished with her
list Jane found she had far exceeded
the equivalent of her yellowback. She
had thought it would be hard to plan
the expenditure of so much money at
one time but now, without even step
ping inside Of store, she had thought
of score of purchases and she found
it necessary to prune and strike of
half the articles she wanted.
She longed to go over and break
the news Of her good fortune to Mrs.
Collins, but then she thought that
would be unwise. Mrs. Collins was
SO plebeian and narrow-minded that
she misconstrued everything, includ-
ing Brands attentions and intentions.
Il guess you won't be needing me as
a chaperon much longer" she had
said few days ago and Jane was so
enraged at the remark that she felt
as if she could chastise her. But Mrs.
Collins would have been fully able to
avert such catastrophe. No one had
ever found such thought father to the
deed with her; not even dear James.
No, Jane was powerless. She had
to have chaperon and her neighbor
was the only one she could trust. De-
spite Mrs. Collins proclivities for gos-
sip, she felt that she could trust her,
for in such little intrigues as this the
good woman was exactly in her own
element. So James expression of re-
sentiment had been confined to harsh
words that brought tears and apollo
gies and a reconciliation.
She dressed hurriedly now in the IT.
repressible blue serge and started for
New York alone. On her way to the
car sic stopped suddenly in front of
her grocer's. The monthly account
there remained unsettled. An idea oc-
Cured to her. Perhaps her plan for
revenging herself on the butcher
hadn't been so visionary after all. Why
not awe the grocer by revealing the
prosperous state Of her finances and
forestall another scene with Bob. She
was sure the man could find no way
of telling her husband that she had
presented a hundred dollar bill. Be-
sides, Bob seldom went into the place.
She entered with a cheerful Good
morning" to which the merchant
responded with a salutation not quite
so cordial. He was thinking of S17.43
and of the fact that it was seven days
past the first of the month. But her
next words brought such a metamor-
phosis of manner that Jane smiled in
spite of herself.
Il want to pay the bill, Mr.. Nolte,"
she informed him. 81 neglected to
bring it with me. Would you mind
looking it up?"
He wouldn't mind at all and al
though the figures were quite vividly
impressed on his mind he went
through the pretense Of examining his
books and presently told her the
amount She held out the yellowback,
at which Mr.. Notes best store smile
broadened, then waned and finally van
ished into blank stare of hopeless
disappointment. He didn't have the
change 1t was so early in the day,
he told her, but if she didn't mind
waiting for minute or so he would
have Fritz mind the store while he
tried to break the bill at Mr. Hoffen-
bach's across the way. But she did
mind. She was in an awful hurry. She
had an appointment in the city and
was late now. OF course, tomorrow
would do, he reluctantly admitted and
AC piOCCG0CQ Will uluCu dldCIlty duu
renewed amiability to take a substan-
tial order that she found time to give.
Jane left the store in high spirits.
Mchsy was indeed power She opened
her purse and looked at the bill again
while she waited for the car The sight
Of it thrilled her. Oh, why was there
any such thing as poverty? Here in
this little strip of crisp paper was the
key to life's real joys; it pointed the
route and paved the way to escape
from the bitter confines of her impe-
cunious past. She had never a thought
that it was not rightfully hers; that
she had not earned it. She knew only
that she had it. So the gambler, when
he has won another mans money,
revels in thoughts of how he win
squander it and is buoyed up to the
heights Of all moral oblivion and free
dom from care
CHAPTER TX.