The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-02
BOBBY AND
THE H. c.. L.
BY JANE OSBORN

&c. 1919. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
go as far as you like" quoth Bobby
to his young wife, Lucille, with that
peculiar brand of satisfaction written
on his face that comes to a man who
feels he has been extremely liberal.
Just so long as it is bang-up dinner,
I'm not going to consider any reason
able cost. Here, Lucille" he said.
drawing forth crisp ten-dollar bill
from his bill case, "here is something.
Spend the whole of it If you want
terrapin, caviar, green turtle, lobster
whatever they have at the nifty din
nerS."
And there are to be eight of u.s."
Lucille's words betokened WEAKNESS,
but it was a WEAKNESS that Bobby, the
exuberant young Bobby, failed to de-
tect.
YES" he agreed, you and me and
my brother John and his wife and your
brother John and his wife and the Bob
Newtons-just jolly party. I'll be
home by six, so as to do anything can
for you at the last minute. l suppose
you'll get Sally to wear a cap and
apron?" And away went Bobby, filled
with pleasurable anticipation of his
first dinner party.
1t had been settled between the
Bobby Stranges when they We're mar
ried that they would run no bills dur
ing the first years of their married
life. Bobby was convinced that every
housewife should go marketing person
ally, taking advantage of the better
prices that were offered to those who
paid cash, and Lucille had agreed per-
fectly. And Bobby Strange did not
mean to be parsimOnious-
But the trouble was that Bobby had
been rather overfed on a certain brand
Of magazine article that urges young
men to save. 1t was his theory that if
a young man earned sixty dollars a
week he should save at least fifteen.
He felt that he was generous when he
allowed Lucille thirty-five on which to
run the house.
When Lucille complained meekly
and good-naturedly that butcher bills
were amazingly high Bobby smilingly
quoted some articles he had read about
using the cheaper cuts, but unfortu-
aately Bobby had taste for chops and
steaks and could not endure stews.
'Oh, there are other things you can
get" he assured her. 81 can't remem-
Der just what they call them. But
you'll find it all in the books"
So when Bobby Strange left that
morning Lucille sat looking at the ten
dollar bill. She ran a finger over it's
verdant face affectionately. There
were so many things that it would do
They needed potatoes, and only the
day before Lucille had found a place
where she could buy eggs at splendid
price.
She had hoped to be able to get some
to put down" for winter. They were
out of soap and it was so much cheap
er buying it in large quantities. But
this ten dollars was not for soap or
eggs or potatoes. 1t was for terrapin
and green turtle.
Lucille started out early to shop,
and she spent hours in her search for
the inexpensive luxuries that she had
hoped for. But they were not to be
had. Why, even ordinary barnyard
fowl were fifty cents pound. Ere
quently as she marketed she consulted
the little menu that she had made out
for the dinner that night, and frequent
ly she ran her little silver pencil
through certain dainties she had
planned to have.
1t was not alone physical fatigue
that weighed her down when she re-
turned from the marketing trip.
you'll wear cap and apron, won't
you, Sally?" she asked when she came
home.
81 suppose so. ma'am," replied Sally,
eff you get one for me. You couldn't
expect me to have them for myself"
Lucille had take the cork out of
the bottom of the china elephant bank
in which she had been saving nickles
with which to buy washing machine.
Then she went out in search of the
white cap and apron that she could
buy with the small amount that the
elephant presented her with.
The dinner seemed to be successful
enough, but something must have
passed between the Bobby Stranges
afterward that took a little of the
felicity out of Lucille. For when her
brother John arrived unexpectedly the
next morning at about nine after
Bobby had started off for his office he
found his sister in tears.
He had trouble-in tracing these tears
to their source, for Lucille knew that
John was an answering friend and
champion of her Bobby. If he had not
been she never would lave explained
to him.
"After you had all gone" she ex-
planned, che said to me that 1 needn't
have been so thrifty. He told me that
he wouldn't in the least have minded
If l had spent all the money he gave
me for the dinner-in fact, he said he