The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-08-02
TIE DAILY :.
SHORT STORY
10 Washington Minor.

had bot0 distTat
Nr. Itldrd had noticed Win Nn
oaG'DosO that SIZE scarcely touched ner
meals, TOsa hStlOssly AZ though hei
thoughts were . thOHSaRa miles away
stared = 0DQken u. ara acted gener'
ally aS th0UJl ltls on this particular
BIT q terrain were not worth me stlof
whats the matter, Elsie; don't sou
feel Welli" be SSked "Yoa look tFea
out"
"0h, no. In sll right abe answered
IN GlTpTise, "Whl!'
"YOu inst DONE seem to act right
thatl ALL"
EN- perfectly VEIL she repeated.
and DTptsRASt 10 20 on vita her read
inS.
Boz after another day Of acting Ike
vet hen" as Mr.. Tilford unsentimen.
tally and unsympathetically PIT it u
him0elf, he decided that something
wa wrong. Why else would she sit
looking straight through him at some.
thing iuSt beyond. sigh dsiectly every
two minutes By the clock, and convey
By every notion the idea that all her
frio1ds we're dead and she was about
70 tollow.
Aren't you happy ElsiS?' Mr.. PHI
i0p4 asked the next day. Are you
worried ahsut SOmsthing?'
''WOIpisd9 No. Why should ! be
VOTFipd? I'm perfectly happy, perfect.
b." And she sighed again.
Mr.. TilfoFd scratched his head in
perplOxity IS he resumed his paper
Women were queer creatures. He had
been married fifteen years and every
year had added to the conviction. Not
that he didn't love Elsie-quite the
ether way. Her very unreasonable
ness seemed 70 OndOaF her 10 him
more every year. That was one thing
about Elsie, life mad no chance 10 get
monotonous with her. She kept things
iDteTeSting.
But this new and entirely unsuspect
ID side Of her was battling. He had
never known Ter TO worry, actually
ret, you might say, before. lie had
always felt that she didn't wOEry
enough, tina. is, that she didn't take
things seriously enough, particularly
where money was concerned, She was
tQnd Of pretty things for herself and
tQr the house, and sometimes, a. in
the past winter. Mr.. TltOrd had been
compelled TO demonstrate.
"YOu see my dear, We can't have
things n war times" he had explained
II know you'd love to have those urs
and that new mirror, and a chow dog
but, aearie. dor't you think it would
b better to let the government use the
lnopey!" And after an argument that
ieOnSumed more words than this whole
ittOfy, Nr. TilfoVd won Out--one third
% the way; that Is. Mrs. TiltoEd got
the turs and Ching, q Chinese Chow
she agreed 70 % without the mirror
tor the hail.
By Wednesday evening Mr. Tntord
was IN diSpaiE. Mrs TilfOrd was visi
bly, dropping, and still no Sign Of the
taalady making itself known. 1T has
been a hard winter on her. poor giIl.
We have given up all the little extras
tho'S been accustomed to--theaters ca.
penslVe dinpers and all that. I sup.
pose now that IT'S coming spring; IT.
sort Of \ reaction. There's no doubt
that this wars hard on the WOmeE
Ny income tax would have bought her
lots Of pretty things. Perhaps l have
been a BIT hard on her preachinl
economy the way have"
Just then his eye fell on a cartoon
u the "iNnnies" where Mrs Bing asks
Mr.. hlAg aS be departs for work II he
femombeTs what day II Is. Mr.. B. g..
epFing her that he does, spends jhe
aay trying 10 figure out whether lts
her biFtAdaY their wedding spulver
eaTH OF the date OF her moheTs
death. end SeAdS home candy, flowers
aho . wrist watch an occurrence not
nreeeteRtod h years. That evening
Mrs. biaG after expressing her de-,
light, asks her spouce II he's paid the
rent. This IS rent day, you know.
Grand finale! Mr.. BIS pockets are
empty. Paints. Curtain
Mr.. Tilford was too worried to laugh
but It gave him an idea. aAd he looked
~ the date Oh the paper. The eleven.
u. Was their anniversary near!
Could that be what Elsie was fTetting
ter? be ran over the ensuing dates in
hls mind, twelfth. thirteenth, fourteen.
u OF April. Had any thing occurred
then? The fcurteeBth. Why. yea,
that was It, their wedding anniversary
i 4 light was breaking His wife was
ttotting for something and was afraid
% ask for II. Bless her heart! He'd
have to find out.
1 "Elsie, We have an anniversary In
j, teW dayS," 10 tegaA tORteVOly. ado
yeu-is there anythiAg you would
hte?"
mo, Henry, nothing, thank you"
lie smiled. He'd no idea that her
Geining in OeOuNmy had been so thor.
opgh. After al! the war was a good
lhlng in its way. II disciplined PEG.
Ole. He could afford TO be generous.
WELL think II oven my dear II
you ohQpge your mind let me know
and we'll see what we can do"
Then Mr.. Tiliord had an inspiration
He thought Of the mirror.
"Ot course, that's what Il To-" be-
thought delightedly. "Elsie's been
cleaning house and deing over the hall
and she wants that Washington mirror
she's talked about all Water. IN have
10 look Il up"
For two days Mr.. TillOFd looked o.
colonial mirrors. lie vent % eVNTy
store, art shop and antique bazaar in
town, until he had seen enough mirrors
to build the Crystal Palace. BY that
time he was so confused he didn't
know what be wanted, so he dstermi
ned to let price make the choice. IiI
Elsie wanted 9 mirror she should have
good one, and 80 he decided on one 81
GoFmley's for tive hundred dollars,