Montana oil and mining journal., 1936-01-18

haps. and one or two simple hats. and
Todd rose so suddenly that he al
most dislodged his wife. He said, -Im
Il going 20 the office" he stamped cul
\ to the haIl and took his hat from the
guest closet. He thought, Damn mar
riage, anyway"
But his eyes, back Of their round
middle aged glasses, were sEnarting fcz
some unaccountable reason.
| With Bella away the house seemed
very empty and oddly flill Of echoes
She went on Thursday n one
Of the new hats, smiling, extraorutnar
| lily adoiescent of appearance Todd ran
over from the office 10 bring her mis-
blessing and parting gift Of orchids.
He net 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
lucky woman"
Todd asked, ..whyP Because I buy
flowers for your"
Bella said soberIy, Because I know
where you'll be while I'm away don't
have to worry about motor wrecks or
wild parties or chorus girls Or" Her
invention Tagged.
Todd should have been pleased, but
AAc WtEtl \.
Occasionally I catch coldsI" he told
his wife $50 it's an aSset-havlng q
dud for husbano2"
You're not a dud, darling" said
Bella, but her eyes, minus their mo-
mentary tenderness, were on the OPEN
ing gate. Maybe I'd better go 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 ia 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
were Thursday.
Todd missed Bella at the breakfast
table on Friday-and at the dinner
table as weI. 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
nlngS work. He even did the Cross
word puzzle and read the funnies and
the advertisements. One advertisement
was funnier than the funnieS.
why be wall f1owerP" read the
advertisement. Even if you're plump
and middle aged, you can learn to be
the so-caIled life of the party. Dane
ing is the key to the situation. Our
staff of instructors is a competent one,
and all lessons are given in private.
If your wife is away on a vacation
have a surprise for her when she re-
turns. If your husband prefers to dance /
with other women, show him he'si
wrong. If you haven't husband or q /
wife" The advertisement ended on
a high, questioning note.
Todd read the boldly printed blurb 1
with the wide gaze of a child. After
he'd read it the second time he wasn't
so sure of its funniness. Glancing up,
above the top Of the paper, he caught
a glimpse OF his plump self In the 1
mirror. And yet 1t was -piumpnesS i
and middle age weren't an adequate
excuse for staying on the shelf What,
he wondered, would Bella say If he
her to one Of the club dances
without bellyaching about 1t? What
would she say if he took a hint from
the advertisement and surprised her by
asking, off hand, for a dance2 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
nin?"
Todd threw the paper on the floor
--he walked across to the radio and
tuned In on a jazz orchestra. Dancing
lit didn't look difficult as Bella did
t. Maybe he could catch on without
lessons He essayed a step, furtively.
Well, it was harder than it looked
he felt like an oxl He'd probably feel
ike a team of oxen If he did get time
10 take a lesson. And yet, lessons were