The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-03-22


mildly. She went home thinking hard.
Diamonds" automobiles" while she,
the other partners wife. was pinching
| dime in two.
What should she do? Should she
leave him2 But John had many good
| traits, and she loved him. Stin she
had no intention of letting things go on
as they were. She said nothing to
John but continued to think.
One evening as Beard entered his
apartment he heard the sewing ma
chine busily clicking. At this hour
Mary was generally getting the dinner,
or smilingly awaiting him in the din
ing room. Entering the living room,
| he found the chairs piled with mems
trousers, and waistcoats, in various
stages of completion, books and papers
cleared from the table to make way for
| thread, buttons, etc., and Mary hard
at work at the machine. So nOisiiy
was it going that Mary did not even
seem to hear him enter. Dumfound-
ed he stood in the middle Of the room
looking from the piles of sewing to
the figure bent over the machine, and
back again. Finally he exploded with:
MARY what does this meanr
His wife looked up, smiled pleas
| antly, and blandly answered: why
John, dear, I'm just doing little work
to help you along, that's all"
"But this Is not at all necessary.
It was quite useless for John to
| buster and protest. She was SO CHEEKY
and smiling, over it all that he was en-
tirely nonplused.
Not seeing his wife make any move
towards the dining room, and not be-
| ing able to make much conversational
Roadway above the clatter of the sew
| ing machine, Joe went up to her and
| touched her on the shoulder.
"Come Mary! Do drop that. and let
| us have dinner"
She paused long enough to look up
very sweetly and say: "YOu'n find 1t all
ready for you on the table. can't
stop now, or I won't have that work
| finished when promised. You know
you say you're not businesslike If
| you're not prompt"
"But you must"
Listen, DEAR" she interrupted II
know you won't mind just taking some
cold scraps, when I'm so busy. And
| I've saved quite bit on the dinner,
| too. Oh I'm learning to economic, !"
! she laughed.
He even tried to drag her from her
work. After he had gone in the 9TH
err room she shook so with laughter,
| she almost broke a needle. She would
| have given something to see his face
| when he sat down to those Scraps
| But after all 1t was quite enough for
| Mary to see his face when he came
| back.
"Do you think I'm canaryT" he
| asked.
"Oh, wasn't there enough?" she
asked, sweetly surprised.
The next evening they were invited
| to dine at the Fasons. The prospect
of getting a decent meal caused Beard
to accept with alacrity. Mary put ON
a gown rather older and more shabby
than was strictly necessary. Joe did
not dare to demonstrate because he had
| told her a short time before that 1t
looked we'll enough to go anywhere.
But on arriving at his partners he felt
pretty sharp pang Of modification at
the contrast between the handsomely
gowned hostess, and his badly dressed
wife. He wondered he had never no
ticed It before. He concluded 1t was
because Mary had always made the
best Of everything.
Beard felt q decided obligation to re-
turn his partners hospitality, and invft-
ed the couple to dinner. In consultation
| with his wife he tried to impress up
on her the necessity Of the meal COM
| ing I'D to the Fason dinner as far as
possible. Mary declared she would do
| her best.
When the guests arrived they found,
| to Joe's modification. piles Of unfm-
ished garments still littering the room.
| Mary apOlogized, saying she had been
| trying SO hard to finish the work, she
had not had time to get 1t out OF the
way. Fason looked extremely sur
prised Mt the state Of things, and his
wife exclaimed: II don't see how you
do it all! Look here, Mary, you've got
to call halt. or you'll kill yourself ="
II don't want her to do It," protested
Beard, 'but she won't listen to reason"
II believe in living as you go along, :"
said Fason. II know you're sailing
your money down in government bonds.
Well, that's all right. But maybe yon
won't be here when the time comes to
enjoy it."
perhaps you're right" murmured
Beard.
The dinner was well cooked, but ex-
tremely simple, and the small roast
had to be closely carved to go around.
Mary and Blanche Fason exchanged
knowing looks. They were together In
the plot. After the guests were gone,
Joe said: "Mary, you've been putting
me through a series of humiliations-"
eyes," she broke in, "And you have
been putting me through a series of
| humiliations' for nine years. When i
found out it was all uncalled for, /
determined to either leave you, or cure
you. Which shall it be?"
'sIt's the cure, dear. Now let US be
1 -, % ~