The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-12-23
Fearing a Headache


cIinad on the couch surrovndeI by
( headache medicines, she looked as il
size had been i'll for at least a. week
Well calculated the man. What's
happs ned? when 1 left home this
morning you were as perky as spar
row. You sold you were gong down
town. shopping!p
q went! said the Invalid, snappily.
That's i'll"
She raised herself on one elbow and
clapped a hand to the bandage around
her brow. "You may, she said. "be-
ing benighted man, fancy that
galloped downtown, dashed in and
bought the three or four things
wanted AID then dashed marrily home
again. should like to give yen an
account of what really happened
go on" said tn man, Mn some
alarm, SITTING down AMI holding his
hat in both hands.
well" proceeded his wife. being
Of hopeful natu.e, l had my day all
planned cut to the last five minutes,
everything dovetailing in neatly.
First. tried TO catch the 1876 ex-
press. | needn't have FASTENED to it,
bsealse it was forty minutes late nd
TANNED with passengers, / stood on
car platform all the way downtown
with other downtroddcn mortals. All
Of u hang on by our eyebrows and
ohcved cindcrs and dared each other
No push thee conductor overheard if
he had the nerve to come aboard for
our fares.
Having thus been put into an
5 agreeable frame Of mind, began look,
ing for a wedding present for the
Joneses. l remained a half-hour
among the metal ware, being lured
on by (. young person who was plain
ly scornfal OF my taste. Finally,
pointing TO beautiful brass Iardin-
iere, | said, ri take that one That
one!' murmured the young person,
negligently turning over a tag that
hung upon it, on, that is already
sod We have no more
Departing, came upon some fasci
mating glassware and decided that I'd
send sherbet glasses to the Joneses.
The clerk was an accommodating
young nfan and he got down sixteen
different designs and explained each
enc in turn. When | narrowed down
my preferences to two patterns he
burs into lecture upon the merits
Of each that sounded like Rusllin
boiled down. 1t bewildePed me, so i
told hin. that I'd wait and have You
drop in and help me decide.
"Ten minutes later, in the lace de-
partment, made up my mind that
was a goose and went back. Selling
upon the clerk and dragging him away
from another customer, / told him
that / wanted to order the glasses,
after all. He had put them back and
took down twenty before he found the
two | liked, and after long survey
Il said, Send dozen of this kind
On picking up the glass of my choice
and regarding it carefully the nice
young man murmured, but we haven't
a dozen of these in stock
Il gave up the Joneses then.
didn't care if they never got a wed
ding present. 1 went to buy twenty
five-cent filet-lace book in the fancy
goods department. The woman teach
ing six customers to crochet impos
sible things. in ten different ways
moved her carefully coiffured head
fraction of an inch and glanced at
me majestically. F1let-lace books?
she repeated. Possibly in the next
room!'
4 went in the next room. where
there was a bowling mob of women
three deep at the counters. | stood
in the rear line for ten minutes and
then, getting to the front. began
repeating, first timidly, then insistent-
", 'Fflet-lace books here? r'iletlace
books here?' Finallyfa clerk paused
in her abstraction and stared at me
in an annoyed way. At the next
counter, think she said accHsingly.
Il skunk away. The next counter
being at least a quarter of mile
long, began at one end and pro
crossed slowly from the third row
back to the counters edge. Then
began my chant-'Filet- ACE books
here? Filetlace books here? Nobody
paid any attention to me.
Finally l reached over and tapped
clerk on the arm. repeated my
query. Can't you see ! am busy?' she
asked sternly. Being timid, waited
ten minutes more. Then / threw tears
into my voice. Cant you, please just
tell me if you have filetlace books
here? begged. They are farther
up the counter she said with sever
lty.
1T took ten minutes to get within
reach of the counter. I wish. said
feebly to the young person there, "a
tillet-lace book, pleased"
She looked across my right shout
der, sho fed her left cheek dimple to
the young man at the burnt wood
counter sharpened a pencil. pattec
her hair and then became aware Of
me. Filet-lace booksg she repeated
Yps we carry Them hlf inst At