The Hardin tribune-herald., 1936-01-24
haps, and one or two simple hats. and

Todd rose so suddenly that he al
most dislodged his wife. He said, I'm
going to the office" He stamped out
to the hall and took his hat from the
guest closet. He thought. Damn mar
But his eyes, back of their round,
some unaccountable reason.
With Bella away the house seemed
very empty and oddly full Of echoes.
| She went on Thursday smart In one
Of the new hats, smiling, extraordinar
lily adolescent Of appearance. Todd ran ran
1e% and fhe 1aanf TO e sF1 o oreh msl
He met her at the tightly closed train
gate, and she kissed him as she pinned
on the luxurious corsage.
you're an old amb-la," she told
him. sometimes realize I'm a very
,,GEs1s TSda ;SI ssEsd; d., why' Because buy
Bella said soberly, Because I know
where you'll be while I'm away. I don't
have to worry about motor wrecks or
wild parties or chorus girls Or" Her
invention tagged.
Todd should have been pleased. but
he wasn't.
Occasionally I catch colds!" he told
his wife. $50 it's an asset-having a
dud for a husband?"
you're, not dud, darling" said
Bella, but her eyes, minus their mo-
mentary tenderness, were on the open
ing gate. Maybe I'd better 60 down to
the train now" she said vaguely. DO
be careful about colds-I wish you
hadn't mentioned them. You know you
have weak throat"
Todd hustled his wife forward in the
wake of cOvey OF red caps.
Your compartment" he told her, "is
in the middle of the car. Take care
Of yourself and don't let Bebe cramp
Bella giggled, "Just what do you
mean by that?" as she kissed him
goodbye.
And the morning and the evening
Todd missed Bella at the breakfast
table on Friday-and at the dinner
table as well. He missed her numerous
Interruptions as he read his evening
paper. The paper was exhausted very
soon with Bella away-usually the
piecemeal reading of it was an eve
ning's work. He even did the cross
word puzzle and read the funnies and
the advertisements: One advertisement
was funnier than the funnies.
advertisement. Even if you're plump
and middle aged, you can learn to be
the so-called life of the party. Dane
| ing is the key to the situation. Our
staff of instructors is competent one,
and all lessons are given in private.
| If your wife is away on vacation
have surprise for her when she re-
turns. If your husband prefers to dance
with other women, show him he's
wrong. If you haven't husband or a
| wife" The advertisement ended on
a high, questioning note.
Todd read the boldly printed blurb
with the wide gaze of a child. After
he'd read it the second time he wasn't
above the top Of the paper, he caught
glimpse of his plump self in the
| mirror. And yet it was true-plumpness
| and middle age weren't an adequate
excuse for staying on the shelf! What,
he wondered, would Bella say if he
escorted her to one of the club dances
without bellyaching about it? What
| would she say if he took a hint from
| the advertisement and surprised her by
asking, off hand, for dance? What
| would the chaperones say when they
saw him circling the floor with his wife
in his arms? What would the decora-
| tive dancing men say? Would they
laugh at him? Would Bella laugh at
him?"
Todd threw the paper on the floor
tuned in on jazz orchestra. Dancing
it didn't look difficult as Bella did
it. Maybe he could catch on without
lessons. He esSayed step, furtively.
| Well, it was harder than it looked
he felt like an OK! He'd probably feel
like team of oxen if he did get time
| to take a lesson. And yet, lessons were