Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-15
Comb Honey
Home Life of the Leffingwells.
By EDWARD BLACK

quiet hour, rummaging through an old
trunk which contained many little
priceless treasures of sentimental
value. She had not taken an excur-
sion into this hall of tender memories
for many days. In an old album she
observed a photograph of Henry
Lefingwell, perturbation OF her
rajah in the heyday of loves young
dream. She remembered that the
picture was taken on a day when she
accompanied him to county fair. He
was all slicked up for the occasion,
with red necktie, brown derby hat
and shirt which was eloquent in its
sartorial superiority. Henry was
quite chevalier in his day, she
thought, reminiscently. In her retro
spection she visualized him on that
occasion, spending money like
profteer. She recalled that he had
$6.45 when they went to the fair, and
he lavished his wealth upon her with
such prodigality that she was almost
in delirium. Nowadays, she be-
thought herself, if he took her to
picture show, it was to commemorate
an occasion such as the anniversary
of their wedding or of the big wind in
Ireland.
As she tenderly closed the album
her hand fell upon a pair of tiny
white shoes flattened out and bearing
evidence of the patter of little feet
in the years gone by. Her musings
on the infant footwear took her in
fancy back to baby days of her elder
son, who was off to war. She held
the shoes in her hand and her mind
reverted to the time when this son
learned to walk in these same shoes.
He toddled from chair to chair and
laughed in childish glee over the ac-
complishment. She remembered the
time as if it had been yesterday. Her
memory carried her swiftly along to
the days when her boy had his first
pair of boots with red tops, and along
through the succeeding periods of
time she wandered in her day dream.
Her reverie brought her to recent
date when she babe him goodby as he
started off to war. She remembered
how he placed his arms around her
and how strong and brave he seemed
when he told her not to worry; that
he would come back to her some day
and that he would always think of
her. even amidst the strife Of the
battles din. She replaced the baby
shoes in corner of the trunk, and
her quiet hour was violated by an un-
usual noise in the basement. She
thought perhaps that somebody had
entered a basement window and was
making a raid on her canned goods.
She started toward the scene of the
noise when she heard Henry Letting
well muttering something which was
unintelligible to her sense of hear
ing.
Leffingwell EssSsrizes.
1--WE found a pair of old shoesp
exclaimed Leffingwell, his voice re-
verberating through the basement
like the heavy breathings of dino
therium in distress. One might have
thought that he had found his pocket
knife instead of a pair of old brogans.
The coincidental relation between
her discovery in the trunk and
Henry's exclamation aroused the
imagination of Mrs. LeffingwellGwho
began to wonder what memories had
been awakened in the mind of her
protector, that he should become so
demonstratlve.
Economy is to be the watchword
in this house during the period of the
war;" continued Leffingwell, rising to
his full height, with the old shoes
held at arms length and note i
fnality in his voice.
Mrs. Leffingwell knew what was
coming. She could read the face Of
her chief without reading glass, He
was going to say that he should and
could do all of the cobbling for the
Lefingwell manor; that he was about
as handy little cobbler as ever cob.
bled since the days that shoes were
invented. She knew few inside facts
regarding Henry's economic ecstacy
A few days before this occasion--it
was on the day that Mrs. Whats-Her-
Names cat had fit-Leffingwell was
stricken by a fit of economic frenzy
when he tried to be chimney sweep.
He had forgotten that his steeple-jack
days were over, and he imagined that
he could climb all over the roof and
even stand on his head atop of the
chimney. The result was that he
slipped from the roof and came down
in disordered condition of mind and
body, causing neighborhood chatter
and defaming the proud name of Lei
fingwell. On the next day he stopped
two chimney sweeps who were in the
neighborhood and he negotiated with
them to do the job. On still another
occasion he attempted the task of cut
ting his hair with the aid of set of
mirrors. He looked as if futurist
barber had been holding clinic over
his dome of reason.
Cobbler Gets Action.
"The trouble with you, Henry LEI
fngwell, is that you do not know your
own limitations. You mistake false
economy for real economy. Your
imagination needs curbing. I think
that it is time that you had another
fever powder or something to get you
back on an even keel. You are CROP
ing around in the dark" was the stern
rebuke administered by the lady of
the house.
well, that is all the encourage
ment | expected, but l intend to do
all of the shoe repairing in this house.
Bring on your old shoes" Letting
we'll retorted.
""Any old clothes to mend" shouted
Willie, as he hid his shoes.
In few minutes the basement was
a scene of great activitycwith enough
noise to do credit to an industrial
plant on a neutrality-suspicious. basis.
1t was Lefingwell speeding up. z
Mrs. What's-Her-Name rushed over
to inquire whether the Leffingwelh
were breaking up housekeeping OF
merely having house warming.
End of a Perfect Day.