The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-18
ANDREW AND IMOGENE E
By ROE FULKERsoN

Z And now" said Imogene, as they See that you are paying little more attention to the proprieties. This is the first time in six months that you have sat down to your dinner with out putting on your smoking jacket"
 ''Yes, indeed" said Andrew nerv- ously. Yes indeed! Shall I put the gravy on your potatoes, dear?"
 Why, of course" she said in a surprised way, haven't you done it every day for years?"
 "Yes, indeed; yes, indeed; go haver he said.
 Andrew" said Imogene, whats the matter with you You act as guilty as cat which has just eaten the canary"
 Who. me guilty? Ha! Hal" he laughed lamely. Guilty of what, pray? What have done?" He but toned the top button of his coat nerv- ously.
 Andrew" she said, pointing an accusing finger at him. what hap pened to that necketie you wore down town this morning? It was that pretty changeable purple one gave you for your birthday. You put 1t on this morning, I know, for I handed it to you when you were dressing to go out, and now you have on black one. It looks mighty fun ny to mel You, a married man. to go downtown with one necktie on and come home at night wearing another! No wonder You were afraid to change to your smoking jacket. The collar is rolling one which would rot hide the evidence of your guilt"
 "Therel Therel Dearie," he said, don't quarrel! I always try to make our home happy one, and you are always trying to pour the oil can in the stove and start something. Why don't you try to get over these things, love? It seems to me that you"
 Andrew" she interrupted, ''stop this instant! You may just drop that dissertation on my character and tell me at once what you did with that necktie!"
 Well, honey" he said, If you are going to be disagreeable about it, will have to tell you the truth. In the first place, when I put on that beautiful tie this morning and knew that you had selected it. I was. oh,
 
 car and I noticed several people look ing at it, and one fellow whom I knew openly told that you had given it to me!
 Why dearest, even the eleyat tor boy in the office building looked at 1t and smiled as I went into the of flee this morning!
 Along in the middle of the day I was standing at the window looking out at this bleak, rainy day and thanking fortune that was in a nice cosy office and that my dear little wife was So snug in our dear little home, and the door opened and a poor old lady came in.s
 Her skirts were all bedraggled and her face looked so pinched and wan and she was so generally mis- erable that my heart just melted in compassion, and when she told me that she was not begging for herself, but that next door to her in the tene- ment house there was a poor little crippled boy who had no father, no mother, no sisters. no brothers and, fact, honey that poor little kid didn't have nothin', and this poor woman was around trying to find some clothes for him to wear. and so I just took the necktie off and gave 1t to her for the poor little boy, and I stopped on the road home and bought this one.
 T knew how tender hearted you were and. although sentiment de- handed that I keep that tie because You gave it to me, T."
 Pass the butter. please" inter- rupted Imogene coldly with a steely glitter in her eye.
 Copyright Twenty-f first Century
 Press 1921)