The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-07-09

A Fool and His Money

she went on IN puslHess-llke mdhhei,
!" and l believe we will get along much
better together if we stay apart. "
Ambiguous remarks ordinarily reach
my intelligence, but I was SO stunned
| by preceding admissions that l could
only gasp;
"Do you mean to say you we been
subsisting all this time on my foodf"
"Oh, dear me, no! How can you
think that of mei Gretel merely cooks
the food | buy. She keeps a distinct
aud separate account of everything,
poor thing. am sure you will not find
anything wrong with your bills, MI.
lSmart But did you hear what ! said a
moment agos"
"I'm not quite sure that ] did"
"I prefer to let matters stand just as
they are. Why should we diseommode
each others We are perfectly satisfied
as we"
~ will not have my new cook giving
notice, madam. You surely can't ex-
pect her-or him--to prepare meals for
two separate"
~ hadn It thought of that" she in
terrupted ruefully. "Perhaps if | were
to pay her-or him-extra wages it
would be all right" she added, quick
lily. "We do not require much, you
Know"
| laughed rather shortly-meanly, l
fear
4 "This is most extraordinary,
madam"
| oil quite agree with you. I'm
awfully sorry it had to turn out as it
has. Who would have dreamed Of your
buying the place and coming here to up
set everythingf"
I resolved to be firm with her. She
seemed to be taking too much for grant
ed "Much as regret it, madam, l am
compelled to ask you to evacuate-to
get out, in fact. This sort Of thing can It
go on"
She was silent for so long that ex-
perienced slow growth of compunc-
ltion. Just as l was on the point OF
lslightly receding from my position, she
lgave me another shock.
"Don t you think it would be awfully
|convenient if you had telephone put
lin. Mr. Smart?" she said. "It is such
Ia nuisance to send Max or Rudolph over
to town every whip-stitch on errands
when telephone-in your name, OF
Icourse-would be SO much more salts
factory"
IA telephone" I gasped.
! Circumstances make it quite unwise
for me to have telephone in my own
name, but you could have one in yours
without creating the least suspicion.
You are"
| Madam" I cried, and got no far
ther.
"-perfectly free. to have a tele-
phone if you want one" she continued.
|''The doctor came this evening and it
really WASH It necessary. Don't you see
YOU could have telephoned for me and
saved him the trips"
| Ut was due to the most stupendous
exertion of self-restraint on my part
that l said: "Well I'll be-jiggered, -
Instead of something little less unique.
Her audacity staggered me. q was not
prepared at that time to speak of it as
superciliousness.)
"Madam," I exploded, twill You be
good enough to listen to met l am not
to be trifled with. Tomorrow sometime
| shall enter the east wing of this build
ling if have to knock down all the
doors on the place. Do you understand,
madam?"
~ do hope, Mr.. Smart, you can ar
range to break in about five O'Clock.
It will afford me great deal OF pleas
ure to give you some tea. May | ex'
pect YOU at five-or thereaboutss"
Her calmness exasperated me. l
struck the stone balustrade an en-
phatic blow with my fist, sorely peeling
the knuckles, and ground out:
"For two cents I'd do it tonight y
ooh, dear-oh, dearl" she cried
: mockingly
"You must be dreadful woman"
cried out. "First, you make yourself
at home in my house; then you succeed
in stopping my workmen, steal my COOK
and men-servants. keep us all awaye