The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-27
The Euening Story
DixweIl's Cure.
nv Vance Edwards.l

| (By Vance Edwards.)
| Say, Hon!" called Mr.. Benjamin
! Dixwel1, in a worried tone.
| YES, Honi" chirped his cheerful
little wife from the front porch. do
you need me?''
"Just a moment. honey" he said,
as she appeared in the doorway, one
of his blue silk socks drawn over her
plump hand and darning needle in
the other. 1--WE been looking over
| Smiths bills-and-er-we must be
awful big eatersi" he ended exp1o-
sively.
''Why?' There was decided edge
| to his wife's tone.
"Just look at these bills-ten dol
| lars week before last, twelve dollars
| last week, eleven dollars this week
to say nothing of the milkman and
butcher and the fruiterer-whew!'
I'm doing the best 1 cam she re-
turned, cold1y.
'That may be, my dear" he re-
torted, a little irritably, but if you
would only remember that my salary
is exactly thirty dollars per week and
food there isn't going to be any left
for rent, clothes or the home we want
to build some day
Tears filled her lovely eyes. "If I
had only known that you were dis
Satisfied-with me-" she quavered.
MY dear girl, I've tried to be pa
tent" explained Ben. Don't, for
heavens sake. cry over tits a very
insist on CRYING I shall lose my pa
tience entirely!" He got up and paced
the floor, leaving on his desk litter
of household bills.
She looked up scornfully at him
through her tears.
Lose your patience! And what
would happen them" she demanded,
haughtily
81 might forget to come home." he
snapped back, and went off, Slamming
the front door.
She looked after him with angry
eyes. When the gate, too, had clicked
behind his substantial person and he
had disappeared in the direction of
the station, she carefully locked the
front door and INDUCED in a good cry.
All that day she worked like a little
fury over her household tasks She
resolved that never again should Ben
have cause to accuse her of eXtrava-
gance. In spirit of bitter irony, she
took inventory of her pantry and re-
from left-overs that would have de-
lighted the soul of frugal housewife.
The half pan of baked beans which
ordinarily would have gone into the
garbage pail was converted into a
bean soup; dry crusts became a cabi-
net pudding minus eggs, with a few
raisins dotted here and there: baked
potatoes and a lettuce salad COM
pleted simple meal, which she re-
garded with scornful contempt, even
while she grudgingly admitted that it
was rather Fascinating to see what one
could do with left-overs.
Six o'clock came and the long line
of returning commuters struggled
down the hill and scattered to their
homes. There was no sign of Ben
Jamin Dixwen. Seven o'clock-8-9-
10-and he came not. Frightened at
his absence and confident that her
husband had carried out his threat of
the morning, Imogen Dixwell cleared
away the untouched meal and went
into the little library, where she spent
the night in going over the accumu-
latcds household bills.
By morning she had reached a de-
cision.
If Ben blamed her for extravaganza
she would pay back the bills herself.
In the meantime, if he chose to go to
his mothers and stay-why he could. |
That morning she telephoned an ad-
vertisement to a city newspaper, Of
fering rooms and board to business
women who desired to live in pleas
ant suburb.
And Ben Dixwell failed to appear
that day or the next, and by the third
day, when Imogen had established two
paying guests" in the little house, |
Ben's office telephoned out and asked |
where he was.
I'VE haven't seen him since Mon |
day. explained Bens chief.
Il haven't either" admitted limo
Her voice broke.
1--WE sent him to Boston Monday, |
but he was to report yesterday: prob |
ably unexpectedly detained" said the |
chief hurriedly. I'll call up the Bos- |
ton office and inquire
please let me know" begged Imo-
gen.
Now she was in a panic of fear.
was curious that he should mys-
teriously vanish on that day-she
would not believe that he had gone
to avoid his obligations, but
she-she alone would pay them.
And the next day the office advised
her that Ben had not appeared at
the Boston branch of the firm and no
one knew where he was. In the aft
Ben's mother came and de-
MED that she had seen her son for a
She blamed Imogen-and
there were more tears.
Now a private detective agency had
charge of the matter and the disap-
pearance of Benjamin Dixwell would
soon become public.
Several weeks went by, they
merged into months and finally the
summer waned and found -mogen
worn to a shadow with work and
worry. The last debt was paid, but
she kept the boarders in order to
meet her daily expenses. Ben's firm
continued his salary. sending the
check out to Imogen each month, but
she would not touch it. She locked
what she did not dare
ask herself.
1t was not surprising that Ben
should tire of her, she admitted
humbly, but that he should have
abandoned ais parents and friends
and his business was amazing.
Imogen learned several hard les |
sons during that trying period and
she was very far removed from |
he careless, pleasure-loving woman
whom Ben Dixwell had married the
One September day she was in |
Boston on business and had occasion I
% visit a large department store. |