Smyrna times., 1932-04-06
WEEKLY STORY
AROUND TABLE
Reading to While Away Time
Under the Evening Lamp
When Days Work is Done
INTERESTING READING
NUMBER TENS"
By Alice @. Meyer-Wing

Olue SILK and two print dresses.
wool sweater and one pair of shoes
without holes in the sOles. Moth
ing to wear anywhere. Certainly
nothing to wear to wedding. And
Joe had just sold the calves for
hundred dollars.
What lot of things a hundred
dollars would buy Oh, well,
she knew when she married Joe
Reynolds that his farm
But there's just one more pay
ment after this, honey, he'd
said when she mentioned rug
for the bedroom-and clothes.
Clothes? Why, girl. you always
look dressed-up to me. and as for
a rug-well. you just wait till the
last payment is made. It'll hurt
your eyes the way we'll doll up.
Just one hundred more and my
grill have a home"
And now had come that invita-
tion to Ernest's wedding. "And |
haven't thing TO wear" she told
Joe. except that fiimsy old silk
and | hate it, Joe"
But Joe was immovable. The
payment must be made promptly.
"And as for that wedding invita-
ton"
He didn't finish the sentence but
Matte knew the invitation hadn't
interested her husband. Well, it in
terested her-and they'd go. 1t
would be the last affair of any kind
they would attend together. Shed
endured this old. unpaid-for farm
as long as she could.
But she would like to look nice
at Ernest's wedding. Ernest had
been fond of her in the old days.
Well, there were those two five
dollar bills hidden away in the tool
house. Joe was saving them for
seeding the small meadow. And
there were four dollars and seventy
cents-she'd kept careful Of the
count-in her dime bank. almost an
other five. Joe had been dear about
dimes for her little bank-but too
determined about business. Always
business first. with Joe.
Fifteen dollars would buy that
f1owered satin dress she'd seen in
the window of the village store,
marked down from twelve-seventy-
five, and shoes. The very best
shoes in the store would cost less
than five dollars.
Here her glance rested upon JOe's
best on the closet floor beside her
own. Their bulk reminded her of
something Ernest had said once,
about Joe's number tens" being In
the way when her future husband
had been slow to catch figure in
the square dance. She had resented
the inferred comparison at the
time. Ernest wore sevens.
Thoughtlessly. she picked up the
big shoes beside her own small
ones. idly turned them over. Why
there were holes in the soIes. Joe's
best. Joe would go stark naked to
make those detestable payments.
Let's see. Where was she? Yes,
her dime-bank money for shoes; the
| ten dollars for the satin dress
She would walk TO the village.
She felt bit of civic pride as she
looked at the store things in the
windows. Like shop in the city.
! Mems articles on one side. Wom-
/ ems on the other.
With her hand on the doorlatch,
she faced the mems window: Shoes.
Well, what of it7 OF course there
would be mems shoes in the mems
window. Except for one pair. all
her own had holes in the soles. This
stony country left its mark. and she
! and Joe
| But Joe hadn't even one pair
without holes in the soles These
mems shoes In the window-the
| price screamed at her-were ex-
actly four-sevcnty. Warm, thick
soled, dressy looking.
] ono was SuliUCdtiIS lOO
warm in the store. She would walk
to the post office. Those shoes
she would look at the other win
dow as she passed through the
i door.
She walked past the post office
/ turned and passed IL again. On
4 down TO the blacksmith shop. Back
again: Rosebuds. Mems shoes.
4 Rosebuds. But she must hurry
i She'd planned hot biscuits for Ioe's
/ supper. She smiled. thinking of her
husbands boyish liking for hot bis
cults and his pride of ner skill in
making them And how proud he
was of-Heavens Why need sne,
/ at this moment. remember his pride
! in her economies tie must never
i know how she'd fell about those
i farm payments. II was for her
| he'd been so determined a
/ home for his girl comfort
i ing protecting. She
put her hands to her face. wet with
/ tears.
A thousand loving little charac-
! teristics that were Joe came rush