Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-07-04

in years. That evening Mrs. Bing, after
expressing her delight, asks her spouse
if he's paid the rent. This is rent day,
you know. GraEd finale! Mr.. b. peck
cts are empty. Faints. Curtain.
Mr.. Tilford was too worried to
laugh, but it gave him an idea, and he
looked at the date IN the paper. The
eleventh. Was their anniversary near?
Could that be what Elsie was fretting
for? He ran over the ensuing dates
In his mind, twelfth, thirteenth, four
tenth Of April. Had any thing oc-
Cured then? The fourteenth. Why,
yes, that was it, their wedding ami
versaryl A light was breaking. His
wife was fretting for something and
was afraid TO ask for it. Bless her
heartl He'd have to find out.
"Elsie, we have an anniversary in a
few days." he began tentatively. do
you-is there anything you would
like?"
mo, Henry, nothing, thank YOU"
He smiled. He'd no idea that her
training in economy had been so thor
ough. After all war was a good thing
in its way. 1t disciplined people. He
could afford to be generous.
well, think it over, my dear. If you
change your mind let me know ana
Wen see what we can do"
Then Mr.. Tilford had an inspiration
He thought of the mirror.
"Of course, that's what it Is" he
thought d%elightedly. "Elsie's been
cleaning house and doing over the hall
and she wants that Washington mirror
she's talked about all winter. I'll have
to look 1t up"
For two days Mr.. Tilford looked at
colonial mirrors. He went to every
store, art shop and antique bazaar In
town. until he had seen enough mir
rors to build the Crystal Palace. By
that time he was so confused he didn't
know what he wanted, so he deter
mined to let price make the choice. II
Elsie wanted q mirror she should have
a good one, and so he decided on me
at Gormley's for two hundred dollars,
which they assured him was a genuine
antique.
On the night of the fourteenth Mr.
Tilford, carrying a box of roses, arriv-
ed home in high spirits. The mirror by
this time had no doubt arrived and the
cloud which had lowered over Mrs
Tilford for a week would be gone. How
lucky he had thought of getting it.
What then was his surprise on enter
ing to find Mrs. Tilford in the hall in a
towering rage, and before her on the
floor two Washington mirrors, identi-
cal from the eagle on top to the gold
festoon on the sides and bottom.
''They told me 1t was genuine an
tique. and Their sent me two. Are they
to be had like mouse traps, six for a
nickel. that they're so common? l only
bought one."
Gone! You bought one" said Mr..
Tilford family.
eyes, Henry. I bought myself a mir
ror for an anniversary present and it's
been pinching my conscience ever
] since. LLwas afEaidrEog lIdn't
approve of it, and it's beer we5Eying
me dreadfully. I'd have countermand@
ed the order but I couldn't think of ans
excuse. Now I've got a good n ana
back they'll both go. Antique =
humph! But I'm glad they made the
mistake"
"Dearie, it wasn't any mistake. I
sent you one for an anniversary pres
ent. They told me it was genuine an
tique. too"
Henry Tilford, you old dearl Did
you really think of our anniversary
1 was sure you'd forget after all that's
why I bought my own present. But.
oh, Henry, how I've worried. You see
l sent the bill to you"
"It's all right, honey. Here's some
roses and If you'll just cheer up and
not worry and stop signing I'll give
you the four hundred dollars, too. 1
guess I have been pretty tight with
you lately"
"Then," said Mrs. Tilford promptly.
"Pn buy Liberty Bonds and Savings
Stamps. Washington's picture on
them will do for me-"