Show Daily Short 1 Fiction Story 0 When Hilton Jones Moved Move By JANE OSBORN Copyright 1916 by the McClure Newspaper er Syndicate Why Vh the blue blazes didn't any anyone one eee Fee ee to having the new lights lights' put in was what Hilton Jones was wis w s about to tot t ask his stenographer but bur just then Mrs Hilton Jones appeared She had hadS S been at her club for the afternoon where she had been reading a paper on the economic independence of ot women and she had just dropped around to to take Hilton Jones Tones home in her electric Seeing Mrs Jones w white ite gloved and immaculate Jones Tones merely growled between between between be- be be be- tween his teeth to the stenographer and nervously tum tum-Cumming on his desk welcomed his visitor with a a. kindly smile I cant can't possibly go home n now w. w dear he le said suavely We are right in the midst of of moving You of ot course cant can't Imagine what that m means ans but you must understand that it takes much of ot my m time Now Kow run along and dont don't be worried if I dont don't come home for several sev- sev eral cral hours I Mrs 1 Jones Tones looked superficially over I Ithe i the offices that stretched out be beyond ond i Fand and around that of Mr Tones Jones I dont don't Isee i isee i see why it should be any more trouble i i i Ithan titan than moving at home it she said A And n 1 Mr Jr r. r Jones Jone merely s smiled indulgently I But Mrs Jones ones had her v way In one i I thing If It she were not able to take I him home with her herat at least she w would uld j take tal him out to 0 tea and that would give ive him strength for the hours of j work worl stretched out before him I At tea amid the soft music splashing splash splash- irig ing fountain and subdued lights of ofu u their fa favorite hotel tearoom she told toll him of her hel success that afternoon of her speech the the- economic on op 1 f ence of woman on the handshaking that that followed ved the congratulations and the thrill thrill of achievement that went with it And now she said I am going to ask you you- something You know I have ve very little to do The boys are both in school where they are better off no doubt than they would be at home I have servants enough to do the housework housework housework house house- work with a very few minutes a a. day of ot supervision There is no longer any excuse for tor m my remaining at home home and and besides I want to be independent Alice gasped Hilton Jones Tones in actual actual ac- ac astonishment dont you love me mer Of Of course you o old cold old d dear ar she said with the air of reproving one of ot her heri i own own children for asking a foolish Ques- Ques tion I love you ou to distraction but I Relieve in it and I to come true this economic independence for which I have hav been making a stand at the club You know I have never had hadan hadan hadan an allowance allowance But haven't you ou alwa always always' shad had all you ou Ranted wanted 1 Yes Yen yet it has has alwa always s 's been mine mineto to receive from you and never mine to give hive I have never felt as if I could do I anything of my own accord that money I could accomplish You gave me m my electric limousine for Christmas Christmas' andall and andall all that T r could d do o for you ou was to work Iome some pome initials In handkerchiefs that I bought and had charged at your our own haberdashers I have no mone money that thatis thatIs thatis is all all- all my own Now there is Mrs Da Dawson Dawson Mrs Dawson writes novels put in Hilton and I t suppose some publisher is bluffed into paying her for tor them and Tom Graingers Grainger's wife has taken to t. t si singing ging in cabarets and old Tim Maloney's Ma- Ma loney's wife takes tal in washing Which one them of-them of them do you envy most Then you OU dont don't like the idea of having havIng hav- hav Ing rno mo mo-do mo do o a anything n thing for a a living There Thoro is is- is nothing exactly that you ou could do is 13 there Hilton said this very indulgently And you don't dont like the thit idea of pf putting putting putting put put- ting me nie on an allowance You Yo are arc my wife not my I owe you O everything thing you ou want beIS beI'S because ber be- be r I'S cause of our love loie I dont don't like the ther r idea of being under actual obligations Ito to you k l. l But if I actually proved to you you that I I r was of some business s value Tha TIla might Thal might make a different thing of of it it iL And there th the tea table conver- conver on economic independence end end- cd ed F- F Things were surely at sl sixes es and sevens sev- sev r ens ens ns for there right in the middle of the ss ma-ss of I f moving mO Hilton Jones had 7 to to go out of town for lor two da days s 's on M pressing business In fact act he hady had time only y to rush home for lor a a. hasty dinner dinner dinner din- din ner and get his Alice hag bag Alice alwa always s 's i knew just what he wanted anted for his hurried hur- hur I is ried sled trips trips and and went aw away And no i one was really a at the he helm to tak take a u up 1 i t t the the confused e confused task of moving ng a after ter he i i had gone sone one I r r When Hilton Jones Tones reached town again two da days s 's later he lie first called up Ills WJ WIfe on n the t l phone from i the sta- sta stio That was one of the little lover habits of his that made women who knew her envy Mrs Jones Joness s Sl She e was even more delighted at the r sound soun of his voi voice than than e-than usual 1 cant can't dait waitto ait to see you she told him himo So So you ou won on mind if I come h right to your once office will you H He was pleased seq a at t this sign ot tien c. c But heaven only knows known where 1 I Ik my once Office is is he returned Better co k right light to the ol old place No on ott second thought I want to get a alook ook at th the new place We Ve were ere to have moved out the first of the month that month that was I yesterday yesterday but those blockheads at theoffice the theoffice I office couldn't move more e without me T There here is no ny one one who can attend to such an an 1 un undertaking but myself I suppose by I not getting out on t the e ll first st we may have to pay another months month s rent Mrs Hilton Jones met her husband I In the entrance hall of the new office building and together they went to the I new rooms Hilton Jones Tones never got j I jover over over his pride of being seen with hi his wife She was so crisp and immaculate late and late and nd spotless even at that early I hour of f the tune morning r H He almost fell backward ward when lie he i opened the door dool For although he h he I knew himself to be in the new build build- building building ing Ins there were the old surroundings I 1 The familiar face of the telephone operator was there at the switchboard Tho green reen carpet was waR stretched and in I I I I place the chairs for visitors were were each one orie one in its proper place Partitions were up desks were in order and lights were in place Everything wa wasas was wag as Jones might have wished it to b batter be he beafter after atter a months month's time had elapsed d. d There was not a paper out of order not nota a packing box to be seen It was Mrs J ones who seemed to lead the way to his private office and there as elsewhere everything was in perfect order I did it she said and Im I'm not a abit abit bit hit the worse worse for for the two long days Ive I've put in I told the efficiency engineers to get out of my sight and I discharged the decorators I Just brought down Milly the cook and her husband and went to work When I wanted to have havethe the the he telephone put in and the manager told me that a week week was the first date I just went around around to see him I I looked firm and told him it must be done and the they were ready in twelve hours As for the lights I sent over the workmen men and watched them and told them how to do it and when they made mape a mistake In measuring the distances distance dis dis- tance corrected them I had my yardstick yardstick yard yard- stick with me and Milly helped And the expert movers well movers well you ought to have seen seen them stand around for MIlly's Milly's Mil Mil- lys ly's husband Hes He's moved for tor my mother for years and there is nothing he doesn't know about t that at It was yas the same way with these carpets and all the rest Sometimes things things' looked as If the they weren't going to get straightened out but I knew that if there was a will there was a away away away way and I wouldn't take no from anybody I had the scrubwomen inhere In Inh Inhere h here re last night at 9 o'clock paid each of or them 50 cents extra and by midnight midnight midnight mid mid- night there wasn't a scrap crap to be seen seen Of or course k Hilton Jones Janes J nes some sometime sometime sometime time really to appreciate what had happened But as the da day progressed after his wife had left him he found in a hundred different ways signs of the She care and forethought of the one who ho had p performed that lighting feat of moving I That night he he handed her a sealed envelope which she opened and re d while he hc went to dress for dinner I Th There rc was a check d for or 00 and the letter read find check in payment for services rendered as expert mover mover and efficiency engineer Will you accept a salaried position on m my staff as efficiency efficiency efficiency effi effi- expert at a salary of ot a year ear By your ur services which will be largely advisory advisor you will more than save Rave the coi concern cern rn that amount if the I work you have done within the last two days Is any indication of your jour usual method It will be greatly to our financial advantage if it you will Accept this proposition Will Viii you give me a few minutes at coffee in the I drawing room to let me explain more fully |