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Show A Purple Velvet Gown By FRANK A. WELLS (Copyright, 11)11, by Associated Literary Press.) Arthur looked in perplexity from Angelica's dirt-streaked face and bedraggled be-draggled costume to the trembling and cowering Thomas Jefferson White. Thomas Jefferson's complexion, nor-mally nor-mally rich seal brown, had for the moment assumed the pleasing tint peculiar to an ashen heap. "Get out of here and finish that work, and mind what you are about! Won't you please sit down?" The first portion of the remark was addressed to Thomas, who departed with commendable promptness; the latter, naturally in a more concila-tory concila-tory tone, to Angelica, who flung herself her-self into the indicated chair. Arthur carefully surveyed Angelica and his heart sank until he imagined that he heard it thump against the soles of his patent leathers. Angelica's purple velvet gown bore numerous huge blotches of black; her plume, recently nodding in its immaculate im-maculate whiteness, dropped ashamed beneath a burden of sooty filth. There was also dirt upon Angelica's face and fire in Angelica's eye. Arthur realized that this was an occasion calling for the exercise of the most delicate diplomacy. His inquiries, in-quiries, deftly put, at length elicited a fairly coherent recital of the events immediately preceding the stormy advent ad-vent of Angelica into his sanctum sanctorum. The story was: Thomas Jefferson, In the discharge of one of his numerous numer-ous duties as factotum of the gents' furnishing house of Burke & Foster (Arthur being the first named of the firm) had inadvertently swept a mass of filth, the basis of which was soot, from the top of the unrolled display window awning at the identical instant in-stant that Angelica passed beneath, with disastrous results to both hat and gown. "What is the extent of the damage?" dam-age?" Arthus asked. "It's ruined," Angelica glowered. "I er refer to the pecuniary loss," "Write Disastrous Results to Hat and Gown." Arthur hastily interjected, discerning a resumption of the storm. Angelica's brow assumed a deep frown and she cogitated for a moment. mo-ment. "I paid $300 for my suit," she announced an-nounced uncompromisingly. Arthur ruminated. Even to his experienced ex-perienced eye the gown seemed ruined. Being unacquainted with millinery mil-linery fabrics, he was not so certain with respect to the hat. Obviously, it was Thomas Jefferson's fault. It was also as obvious that as Thomas Jefferson received but eight dollars per week for his more or less valuable services, upon which he was engaged In the task of supporting a helpmeet and rearing numerous and hungry progeny, it was as possible to deduct the amount from his wages as to extract ex-tract blood from a turnip. Arthur, as the visible representative of the firm, would have to do something. some-thing. The easiest way out of the matter would have been to write out a check for the amount without further furth-er ado. But It unfortunately happened hap-pened that three hundred dollars was the exact sum Arthur required to complete the purchase price of a new motor car upon which he had set his heart, and he was not disposed to give up the car without an effort. "I'll tell you what I'll do," he announced an-nounced hopefully. "If you will send me the hat and gown, I will have them cleaned." Angelica was not disposed to be unreasonable. un-reasonable. "Very well," she answered in her most freezing tone, "I will give you a chance." She was on the point of sailing majestically from ofHce when she caught sight of her reflection in a mirror and hesitated. Arthur understood under-stood and, springing gallantly across the room, with a deep bow flung open the door of a lavatory. At this evidence of thoughtfulness, Angelica thawed perceptibly, and it was with a little less than her queen-of-all-the-RussIas air that she entered en-tered the lavatory and closed the door. Fifteen minutes later it was a different dif-ferent Angelica who emerged. Her face wore Its usual aspect, and while the spots in the gown still looked big there was a vast improvement in the general appearance of the garment, gar-ment, and her hat, denuded of its plume, which she bore in her hand, was really presentable. Arthur looked at her if she were a butterfly. Angelica, furiously angry, an-gry, and with soiled face and garments, gar-ments, was relieved of the greater portion por-tion of the visible effects of Thomas Jefferson White's blunder, and restored re-stored to a state of partial calm, was rather more than charming. Arthur was humbleness itBelf as he bowed her out, and Angelica was graciousness personified. After which Arthur sat down and made an honest effort to clear away the mass of mail on his desk. But somehow Angelica's face as he had last seen it continuously continu-ously intruded itself between his eyes' and his work until, noon arriving, arriv-ing, he gave up despair and departed for lunch. Then he sought out his friend Mr. Samuel Hayes, of the Universal Dry Cleaning Company. "Sam," said Arthur, depositing his glass upon the mahogany, "can you clean purple velvet?" Mr. Hayes frowned meditatively at the bit of twisted lemon peel at th bottom of the glass, and finally answered an-swered confidently: "Show me anything I can't clean In the dry goods line and I'll blow you to a dinner." Two hours later the velvet gown, carefully wrapped by Arthur's own hands, was speeding via special messenger mes-senger to the plant of the Universal Dry Cleaning Company. If Arthur imagined that his troubles trou-bles were over he was speedily disabused dis-abused of the ideal. The expressed confidences of his friend Sam was not borne out in deed. It proved an easy task to rehabilitate the hat, but the gown ah, the gown! The stains refused to go, even under un-der the stimulus offered his cleaners. Meanwhile, Mr. Hayes learned to anathematize an-athematize his friend Arthur in a most whole-souled manner. Arthur, on his part, thought evil things of Mr. Hayes and took a fiendish pleas-use pleas-use in exacting the penalty of the dinner, when that gentleman at last confessed himself beaten. Then began a campaign among the cleaning establishments of the great city the like of which was never seen before. Arthur scarcely ate or slept Business was neglected. His face became be-came haggard. His eyes assumed a wild, unearthly light. By day and by night the gown was upon his mind when his thoughts were not ocupied by the owner of the gown, whom he had seen several times, ostensibly In regard to the progress he was making in the elimination of the spots. As far as Angelica herself was concerned, con-cerned, she had lost interest in the fate of the gown, and her attention became rather forcibly centered in Arthur. Summer was passing by. The gown, like a frayed and oft-rejected manuscript, came back from the last of the dry cleaners, the pile practically prac-tically gone from it and the results of Thomas Jefferson White's misguided efforts bigger and blacker than ever. Arthur called at the home of Angelica, An-gelica, bearing his personal check for three hundred dollars. Some hours later he left. The steps which led up to Angelica's front door may have been in their usual place, but as Arthur floated on air, he neither saw not needed them. Also, the three hundred-dollar cheiit reposed re-posed in his pocketbook. The following day, the stub bearing bear-ing Angelica's name was marked "Cancelled," and the next following displayed the name of a well-known jewelry firm. Autumn arrived. Thomas Jefferson White, resplendent in a new suit of black find distinguished by his broad and happy grin, opened the door for an endless procession of guests at Angelica's An-gelica's home. As the harpers struck up the wedding wed-ding march and the bride glided into the large drawing room, a universal gasp of astonishment went up, when it was discovered that instead of the conventional white she wore purple velvet. |