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Show H V W'-e -;" V1- V"S i5 sauce fmmm Indulgent Husband Who Could Net Resist a Practical Joke Taught a Lesson. By MRS. D. E. COOPER. Bobsou was a good citizen, an indulgent in-dulgent husband, a boon companion; but lie positively could not resist a practical joke. "His wife was indignant when he, on their wedding day, notified her by 'phone that he had broken a leg and could not come to be married; and w'hen, as she was about to tearfully dismiss the guests, he appeared, joun-ty, joun-ty, unconcerned and whole, he never knew she was a woman of spirit bow near she came to dismissing him. Then there was the time that he protended that his hister Dora and her husband had been killed in a railroad accident and that he and his wife would have to rear the six children. chil-dren. "Brutally coarse," she called it. Mrs. Bobson never laughed at her iiusband's jokes not considering Shem funny and on one particularly gloomy day in early spring, after a shock that aggravated her almost past endurance, she decided that he " had reached the limit. "To Whom It May Concern: Parties Par-ties are hereby notified that I am not responsible for debts contracted by my wife. "ROBT. BOBSON." With eyes flashing danger she dashed dash-ed the little local paper on the dining table where Robert had, with unusual good humor, left it. "So this is his idea of a joke!" she exclaimed with compressed lips that deepeired her dimples. "This! Well, It is his last. "I'll teach him a lesson he won't Oon forget," she confided to the hall tnirror as she viciously thrust a hat pin through hat and auburn tresses. Shortly after noon Bobson appeared at his sister Dcra's home. Dora was serving dinifer for the hungry children. r' Tessie always hangs fEe foliage plant in the window as a signal for me to come home to dinner," he ex- If! "So This Is His Idea of a Joke!" plained, "and 1 tell you what, Dode, I'm afraid to go home, for she has not signaled me today. Guess she's a bit apset," he laughed a little lamely, 'about the ad just did it to get a little lit-tle joke on her. you know." "I don't know what you mean," replied re-plied busy Dora, "but I did hope, Rob. that you would settle down when you were married. You are twenty-3ve twenty-3ve now, and I declare, act with no more judgment than my own Rob, .who is loss than half your age." "There she is now!" called Bobson, pulling Dora to the window. "Mad as a March hare. Gee! but she looks fine in that new suit" "The boa is a beauty," replied Dora. "It shows off well when she walks." "Yes, she is making the fur fly, so to speak," chuckled Bobson. "I say, Dode, just give me some dinner with the kids. I'll eet none at home to day." Along in the afternoon, Will Rath-bone Rath-bone of Rathbone, Sutton & Streets, came into Bobson's office. "Good boy, Billie," called the effervescent effer-vescent Bobson. "You look like Foxe's 'Book of Martyrs.' Anything happened to the horse?" "It's about the advertisement," said Will hesitatingly. Bobson leaned back and laughed uproariously. up-roariously. "The best ever," he exclaimed. ex-claimed. "But I guess Tess is mad," said he, sobering somewhat. "I wanted to say," continued Rath-bone, Rath-bone, unsmilingly, "that you can hardly hard-ly expect to be unaccountable for thu debts contracted before the notice was published." Rathbone, noting the look of dumb astonishment on Bobson's face, added: "I hate to speak of It, Bob, but we are In for about $600, and can ill afford to lose it. You know I am somewhat In debt my wife's father, you under-itand. under-itand. The new department was my idea, you know. So Sutton & Street; ! blame me, for I was the one to let the j accoi'iit run; knowing you and Tessie j so well." "liobson rose, in a towering 'passion. "Rathbone, if you say another word I'll throw you out." Rathbone straigthened perceptibly. "I hardly think so, Bobson. Better consider a moment, first. -Remember, you tried that on me at school some 15 years ago, and it didn't work just as you anticipated." Bobson's hair stood on end. Was this the end of their David and Jonathan Jona-than affection? And through what ghastly freak of torture had Tessie not told him! Six hundred dollars! Somewhat blindly he put out his hand. "Don't let us quarrel, Billie, ,: he said a little thickly. "I will fix it some way. I only put it in as a little joke on Tess. I thought every one would know. Rathbone took his hand and tried to hide the scorn in his voice: "AY. right, Bob; but if that is your notion of fun I am sorry for you." "I'm sorry for the little girl," he returned simply, as Rathbone left him. Alone, he sat, unable to fix his attention at-tention on business, ashamed even tc glance through the window. Along in the afternoon his sistei Dora's husband, a man several years Bobson's senior, walked thoughtfully into the inner office. Though on the best of terms, Bobson had a profound respect for Stewart. "This is bad, Robert," said Stewart, "but it seems that for decency's sake you might have taken some othei way." Bobson, the chills playing sportively down his spine, felt what was coming "But you can't expect me to waive my rights,' continued Stewart. Bobson raised his head to speak but at his visitor's hand, lifted to enjoin silence, he waited. "It is not right of you," resumed Stewart. "You always bragged, you know, even to Dora, that Tessie was the best dressed woman in town. 1 don't deny that she is; but I meant to get Dora one or two things to make her work lighter a new sewing machine ma-chine and a gas range, when you paid me, and it is hardly fair that she should go without these things in order or-der to satisfy Tessie's love for dress. It was $400, you know." Four hundred dollars! Indeed, he did not know. Bobson sprang from his chair and paced the small office, while Stewart grimly waited. He would not betray Tessie even to the family, but why, why "Man alive," he exclaimed, "I'll make it right. Even if it ruins me," he muttered. ' "But see here, Stewart," he continued, "I only put that ad in for a joke." "Well, I hope you will enjoy it," returned re-turned Stewart unfeelingly. Bobson was stunned. "Business can go to thunder," said he between his clenched teeth, as flinging on his hat and coat he went by the back way to his home. Finding the house locked he enterd by the way of the cellar a trick" that he knew. "Tess, Tessie, girl!" he called loudly, loud-ly, softly, pleadingly, as he searched each nook of the tiny house. Goinfc' to the telephone he rang up his w ife's mother. "She's not here," was the curt reply, re-ply, and he heard the click of the re-C re-C :1 3 it was hung up. Dismayed, he stood motionless. Tess' mother was clearly vexed at him. She, who had always taken his part then he was indeed forlorn. For hours he walked the floor or flung himself groaning into a chair to wait and to plan how to pay a debt of $1,000 when he had Invested all that his business would permit. in their little lit-tle paradise of a home. When the midnight train from Chicago Chi-cago pulled into the little station, Bob-son, Bob-son, who had hitherto been ashamed to show himself, was madly pacing the platform, questioning a party of returned re-turned theater-goers, the only passengers passen-gers to get off, whether his wife had been on the train. "Yes, she has left me, and I richly deserve it," he muttered as he returned re-turned home and staggerd blindly Into the house. Haggard and worn he reached his home and switched on the light. "You're out late, Bobbie," said a voice, sleepily, and Bobson started and almost cried out from sheer nervous exhaustion. "Tess, girl! ' he cried, dropping on his knees and clasping the sleepy bun- die of lacey whiteness and vainly seeking her face, which seemed hidden hid-den by the abundant auburn hair',- "can you ever forgive me? I didn't know that you owed anything. On my soul, I didn't. It was one of my cursedly idiotic jokes. It Is my last, you may be sure." "Yes, dear, never mind" the slim hand passing lovingly through his hair "and, Bobbie, boy, she tried to jaised the bowed head, "I don't owe a cent!" "Tess!" The burden of years seemed lifted from his soul. "Oh, but I shall make Rathbone and Stewart smart for this!" "Why, Bobble Bobson!" she exclaimed, ex-claimed, naively aggrieved; "that wail a practical joke!" (Copyright, by Dally Story Pub, Co.) |