The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-06
A Joke That
Niscarriied
By ETHEL HOLMES

Jim and John Emerson, twin broth
ers, dressed alike as they looked alike
Ihey wore their boards alike, and their
voices We're as nearly the same as two
Vlolins. They were married on the
same day and went to live in twin
houses in Anterior terrace Every one
said that there was nothing unlike
about the brothers except their wives.
One day while they were lunching to-
gether at the Downtown club they con
Guided to swap wives for dinner. Jim
was to go home to Johns house. pre-
tending to be John, and vice versa. Tie
pretense If successful was to last till
coffee was brought on, when John and
his brothers wife were to go i q 0 Jim's
and all have coffee together and laugh
over what had taken place
When John Emerson, personating
Jim, went to Jim's house that after
noon shortly before the dinner hour
he received the connubial kiss from his
Drothefs wife, and, so far as he could
discover, she thought him her husband.
ANY lettersT' he asked casually.
Yes she said, handing him one adj
dressed in a feminine hand, while she
looked up into his face as he read the
superScription.
John was somewhat taken ahack
lie did not know whether the eDistle
was one his brother would wish his
wife to see or not. Giving it a casual
-
glance, he put it in his coat pocket un-.
opened and asked if the wife had spent
the day pleasantly.
Mrs Jim did not ask when he had
pOcketed a letter in which she was
deeply interested who was the writer
for she had studied the handwriting
on the envelope and could not make
out that it belonged to any woman she
knew, but her replies to Johns re-
marks were not cordial and it was evi-
dent that there was something on her
mind. John endeavored to appear nm
concerned but he was obliged to admit
that the letter incident had caused an
unfortunate turn in his and his broth
er's joke
The more John tried to placate his
SlSter-ln-law the more implicated she
became. By the time the dessert came
on the table she was sitting bolt up
right in her chair looking very crusty.
Meanwhile her husband was dining
with his brothers wife Jim. who
was an excellent business man, had
made money. while John. whose tastes
were artistic, had not. Mrs. John was
economical, and her principal business
was to keep her husband from spend |
ing more than his limited income war
ranted. 1t had occurred to Jim that
this occasion would be good one to
make his sister-in-law a present. So |
on his way to dinner he stopped at a
jewelers. and bought a brooch. for
which he paid $50 After receiving
the homecoming kiss he drew the box
containing his gift. opened it and held /
the brooch before the lady's eyes.
See what I have brought you. dear
Mrs. Emerson's brows lowered. In
stead of putting her coral fingers on
the brooch she pushed it away from
her.
"Why in the world did you spend
money for that trinket when | have
all can do 10 make ends meet without
it? Tomorrow morning you take it
right back and leave it where you
got it,
Poor Jim looked very much disgrun-.
led He could not confess that he
was her brother-in-law instead of her
husband and that it was pure gain to
her He stammered an apology, put
he brooch in his pocket adding that
ne was very sorry" and took up the
evening paper Fortunately dinner
was announced. and he hoped to get
through it without anything more dis
agreeable than what had already hap
oened
Thus the joke that was intended to
be pleasant one, to be laughed over
after dinner, miscarried. John had a
letter in his pocket that he dared not
open for fear of compromising his
brother. and Jim stood accused of
extravaganza. All through
the dinner Jim's sister-in-law was de-
claiming against his want of ability
10 keep within bounds. 1t was no ex-
use whatever that he had intended
The gift for her 4 gift that troubled
her to pay for by skimping was no
gift at ALL Indeed. it was a detriment
About 730 by the clock Jim Emer-
son was called to the telephone.
rs that you. JIM
Yes"
There's been Il tiascO here"
There's been one here too
The trouble is letter received by
the morning mail addressed to you in
a woman's handwriting.
The trouble here is that l brought
YOUR wife fifty dollar brooch as