Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 134: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

924 brew is from three star. It was home. And yet—where could they get a thousand dol- lars? He could not ask for it at the office— right after this new job had been given to him because he had seemed so substantial to them. He could hardly prevent the disloyal thought from creeping into his mind that if Anne had been less extravagant they might have saved even more than the necessary sum, As it was— “It does seem as though we might have saved a little, Anne—with the money I’ve made this year. Mind, I’m not blaming you—it’s as much*my fault as it is yours; more, probably, but—”’ “You poor, dear boy!”” She was on his lap in an instant. “ Burdened with such a selfish, extravagant wife.” Her arm tightened around his neck. “ There, there! That’s all right, old kid,” he said, patting her. on the shoulder. She looked up. “You say we'll lose the house if we don’t satisfy this mortgage?”’ ‘* Absolutely,”’ he made reply. they'll positively foreclose.” She rose from his lap. “You wait here for a minute, Jimmy,” she said soberly. “I'll show you some- thing.” She went out, and a few minutes later returned with a small book in her hands. ‘Do you see this?” she said. “ Yep—looks like a bank book,” he an- swered. She handed it to him. ‘“ Look inside and see what it says—in red.” “ Why—why—Anne,” he stuttered in his wonder and amazement, “‘ there’s a balance of eleven hundred and thirty dollars!” “You bet your sweet life there is!”’ she announced. ‘“ That’s what we’ve saved this ear.” “Saved this year!” he ejaculated. ‘“‘ Why, you’re crazy with the heat, Anne—” “You heard me,” she said calmly. “ How?” he asked. “ Well, listen and learn something. You think I’ve been extravagant, don’t you? Don’t answer—I know you do. Did you ever really manage to save anything in your life? No!” she answered her own question “‘ He says ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. and went rapidly on: “I know that, and I knew that unless I took matters into my own hands we never would. Jimmy, how many dresses did I buy this past year?” He made a rapid calculation. ‘ Six,” he said, “‘and darn expensive ones, I’ll tell the world.” “Wrong!” she said. “As usual. I bought one—just one. You paid for six, you mean. The other five were just made over—by yours truly—and cost nothing ex- cept a bit of extra material here and there. I would never have been able to get away with it with some men—or with a woman— but you never noticed these things very closely, anyway. For instance, do you re- member that first dress—the one I wore to the yacht club dance?” He nodded in dumb astonishment. ‘ Well, that was made from my wedding dress. I didn’t buy but one hat the whole year—though you paid for eight expensive ones. I made them all over from old ones. I bought no new stock- ings, no new underwear, scarcely anything new—but you kept on paying. I presented you with the bills—and you had to hustle out and dig up the money—as I knew you would if I made you. You're a dear boy, Jimmy, but you’re so pleasant and easy- going that I knew you would not make more money unless it was absolutely imperative. That grandfather clock, Jimmy ”—she mo- tioned to it, ticking away gravely in its corner—“ I picked up at an auction for ex- actly thirty bones—you paid me a hundred and twenty-five; pretty good profit. Jim- my, how much do you think you paid the washwoman this year?” “Four dollars a week—fifty weeks—two hundred dollars,” he said. ‘““That’s what you paid her—behold, the washwoman! That’s me!” He would have protested at this, but she shut him off. “Oh, it. was good for me, Jimmy-boy— keeps the waist line down, y’know, ole thing. I didn’t mind—and the neighbors never found out any more than you did. And I saved a great deal on table and house- hold expenses—you thought it was very ex- pensive living here. I suppose it wasn’t very honorable, if you look at it in one way, keeping all this a secret from you, Jimmy—but I did love our little -home so, comicloool C©