The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1917-07-06
The Gift

LNuL evening oeyiuOuI anu JGElnHu
! saught the same train to Lastburg, and
both were just one train later than
nsual They dropped into the same
seat, and each exhibited u small pack
age as they had been wrapped by the
clerks in the stores where they made
their purchases.
"Some little present, mine" Seymour
offered.
The other grinned answer. "Go6d
thing we got together" he agreed.
"sny, It's lucky our wives birthdays
come on the same ddy, amt It? Friend
wife at my house is surely hard to
please"
Cant be any worse than the missus
at my place." Seymour retOrted. "But
two heads, you know; better than one
w6hiah's idea of what she ought to get
for her birthday"
All the way home the men continued
their conversation, and they were still
laughing when Jermyn clapped Sey-
mour on the back at SeymOur's steps
and went on to his own home next
door.
Mrs. Seymour was the first to sus-
becti She saw the men 1aughing on
the sidewalk, and as she kissed her
husband she shifted for the occasional
Glove odor. It was not there and she
was puzzled, though she knew 1t must
be something. II was after Seymour
had gone next morning that she
CHANGED to glance into his bureau
drawer and knew that he had been
there. Then an examination that
held nothing of chance revealed the
package Seymour had brought home
and hidden here. Then a peek and
longer look showed her that there
was d necklace in the box. Not for
bhe instant had Mrs. Seymour forgot
ten that tomorrow was her birthday,
and now she knew that her husband re-
membered as WELL And then Mrs.
Jermyn ran over.
Mrs. Seymour couldn't resist swear
ing Mrs. Jermyn to secrecy and show
ing her what a splendid husband she
had and how much he thought of her
witness the birthday necklace. Mrs.
Jerrhyn looked. She could not help but
see that it was q nice necklace, and
that Mrs. Seymour admired it. She
was half sorry that she came over. But
she managed to keep envy out of her
glance and tone and then she pro-
duced the box Jermyn had carried
home last night
81 just happened to run on it," she
cOnflded. "He had hidden 1t away In
his dem"
1t was a gold watch. A pretty thing.
And as Mrs. Seymour looked at it the
beauty faded out of her necklace in
some weird fashion. She had not
thought she would have preferred II
watch to a necklace, but now she did.
Both the women returned the boxes to
their hiding places.
The morning after the joint birthday
Seymour and Jermyn caught the same
train to town. They looked at each
other, then they broke into laughter.
They clapped each other on the back.
"Say," Jermyn offered, "the wife Is
tickled to death with her present. First
time 1 ever succeeded in quite suiting
her, too"
"She can't be any happier than my
wife is over her present" Seymour
came back.
An acquaintance in the seat ahead
turned. "You fellows talk as If you
had discovered the original recipe" he
snid. "Just how do you manage to
please your wives with presents, any
how2 I never could"
The two men laughed.
Make them think" began Sey-
mour.
'The Ding to get them"
finished,
"As s curiosity" the ac-
quaintanc3 s. n, "what did you
fellows g-73 49, ives for their birth
days, anyway
Seymour tho ! Of the necklace he
had hidden whecS Mrs. Seymour would
surely and it. ~. hy," he answered, II
gave mine a nice watch"
Jermyn chuckIGd as he remembered
how he had put that watch away in the
/ dasIs In his dan WAnd I gave mine a