The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-23
HILTON JONES
BY JANE OSBORN.

was what Hilton Jones was about to
ask his stenographer, but just then
Mrs. Hilton Jones appeared. She had
been at her club for the afternoon,
where she had been reading paper
on the economic independence OF wo- |
men, and she had Just dropped around |
to take Hilton Jones home in her cleo |
trio.
81 can't possibly 60 home now,
DEAR" he said suavely. I'VE are right
IN the midst of moving"
But Mrs. Jones had her way in one
thing. If she were not able to take
him home with her at least she would
take him out to tea. and that would
give him strength for the hours Of
work that stretched out before him.
At tea, amid the soft music. splash
ing fountain and subdued lights OF
their favorite hotel tea room. she told
him Of her success that afternoon, OF
| her speech on the economic indepen-
dence of woman. on the Handwriting
that followed, the congratulations and
| the thrill OF achievement that went
| with it.
"And now" she said. II am going to
/ ask you something. You know have
very little to do. There is no longer
any excuse for my remaining at home
and besides want to be indepen-
dent"
alice" gasped Hilton Jones in ac-
tual establishment. don't you love
met"
"of course, you old DEAR" she said.
But haven't you always had all you
wanted?"
Eyes, yet 1t has always been mine to
receive from you and never mine to
give / have never felt as IL | could
do anything of my own accord that
money could accomplish. have no
money that is all my own. Now there
is Mrs. Dawson
MRS. Dawson writes novels" put in
Hilton. TON Changers wife has ia.
ken to singing in cabarets, and old
Tim Maloneys wife takes in washing.
Which one of them do you envy
most?"
Then you don't like the IDEA of hav-
ing me do anything for living?"
There is nothing exactly that you
could do. is there?" Hilton said this
very indulgently.
But IL actually proved to you that
was of some business value?"
THAT might make different thing
of It," And there the tea table CON
versation on economic independence
ended. In the middle OF the mass OF
moving Hilton Jones had to go out
! of town for two days on pressing bust
!, ness.
When Hilton Jones reached town
q again, two days later, he first called
, up his wife on the phone from the
7 station.
81 can't wait to see you," she told
r him. $50 you won't mind IL I come
/. right to your office, will your"
He was pleased at this sign of ina
;, patience.
Mrs. Hilton Jones met her husband
= in the entrance hall of the new Office
u building and together they went t
! the new rooms.
!. It was Mrs. Jones who seemed tt
l lead the way to his private office ant
/. there. as elsewhere, everything was ir
perfect order.
8 II did IT," she said, "and I'm not Q
s bit the worse for the two long days
/ I've put in. I told the efficiency en-
a gineers to get out of my sight and
discharged the decorators. I Just
k brought down Milly the cook and heI
s husband and went to work. When
J. wanted to have the telephone put in
l. and the manager told me that a weeh
0 was the first date, Just went around
to see him. looked firm and told him
1t must be done, and they were ready
in twelve hours. AS for the lights,
0 sent over the workmen and watched
/ them and told them how to do 1t, and
= when they made mistake in measur
ing the distances corrected them.
!, had my yardstick with me and Milly
helped.
II II was the same way with these
b carpets and all the rest. Sometimes
+ things looked as II they weren't going
8 to get Strengthened out, but / knew
that IL there was a will there was O
: way and wouldn't take mo" from
y anybody. had the scrubwomen In
here last night at nine o'clock, paid
1 each of them so cents extra and by
} midnight there wasn't scrap to be
5 seen"
4 OF course 1t took Hilton Jones some
] time really to appreciate what had
8 happened. But as the day progressed
{ after his wife had left him, he found
in hundred different ways signs OF
j the care and forethought IF the one
r who had performed that lightning feat
OF moving.
+ That night no handed her a sealed
, envelope which she opened and read
while he went to dress for dinner
There was a check Enclosed for two
hundred dollars and the letter read:
: Enclosed find check in payment for
/, services rendered as expert mover and
3 efficiency engineer. Win you accept a
salaried position on my staff as eGlcl
, ency expert at a salary OF three thou
b sand dollars year? BY your services,
: which will be largely advisory, you
> will more than save the concern that
e amount. IL the work you have done
}. within the last two days is any indica.
8 ton Of your usual method It will be
greatly to our financial advantage IL
: you win accept this proposition. VIII
e you give me few minutes, at coffee
J in the drawing room, to let me ex-
\ plain more fully?"
s Copyright. 1916 by the Mcclure Newspa-