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Show u z Mr. Togas' Generosity 11 ' Mr. Toggs wns peculiar; but ovory ono is peculiar who Is nsscrtlvo and does not think in all things Just as wo do. Mr. Toggs wns not considered a generous gen-erous man; hut then tho standard for generosity vnrlos so that wo cannot always accept even tho Judgment of friends. Mr. Toggs wns gcucrous with himself. him-self. This was uuqucstlonlngly conceded. con-ceded. In dress ho wns generous to prodigality. Tho appcaranco of bis well-developed 6 feet 2 of physical manhood, from tho luster of his high top hat and Immaculate linen to tho sheen of his No. 10s was faultless. It was in his family relations that Madam Gossip charged him most unsparingly. un-sparingly. Sho said that ho kept no servant for his wlfo; that ho novcr allowed her family to visit her on account of tho added exponso that would bo Incurred; thnt whllo ho was clothed faultlessly, sho was but why should wo bo rummaging In other folks' closets to display their family skeletons, when the very thought starts a commotion In dark recesses nearer homo. Rcmombor, Mrs. Toggs never complained; com-plained; not she. Had sho not promised prom-ised at tho sacred altar to love, worship wor-ship cherish, I mean nnd obey? And she did It so thoroughly that all Independence Inde-pendence of thought and action was lost In her dovotlon to her over-towor-ing spouse. Mr. Toggs foil 111.. Ho had been exceedingly ex-ceedingly generous with himself, and bad indulged in a late banquet nt tho Ego club. Ho awakened early In tho morning with a most pronounced attack at-tack of Indigestion. Mr. Toggs declared that ho had swallowed tho lnrger part of a millstone, mill-stone, and that It lay with Its crush-ing crush-ing weight Just bqlow his diaphragm. Then ho felt llko tho Spartan youth who concealed tho stolen fox tinder his toga, and ho experienced tho burnings burn-ings of a thousand pitiless ilamos ns they ato their way Into his vitals. During tho first hour's toituro Mr. Toggs groaned nnd moaned and expressed ex-pressed himself In langnuago that wa3 as forclblo as tho conditions do-mantled. do-mantled. Mrs. Toggs, without any unduo dls-play dls-play of alarm, gave him tho full service ser-vice of her devoted nature. Ho had been sick onco with rheumatism, and sho had witnessed a display of tho lack of all Christian graces In the nnturo of Mr. Toggs when sick, s'o sho was not apprehensive. Indigestion may effect a comploto transformation In Its victim. It will mako either a saint or a demon of tho worst or best of mon, or chango n lion Into n lamb. Mr. Toggs, nftor a few hours' torture, beenmo a lamb. Ho uncomplainingly swallowed quarts of scalding hot water. He chowed pop- ! II I I 1 1 j J,! Became a lamb, sin tabids without a murmur. Ho wal-lowed wal-lowed Dr. Killer's remedies faithfully, and submitted to applications of mustard mus-tard plasters until tho outer surfaco of his body had ovory appcaranco of being parboiled. . Through It all not 01m word of complaint com-plaint or rebolllon escaped Mr. ToggR lips, and Mrs. Toggs was somowltut alarmed. As day and night In regular order succeeded each other until flvo revolutions revolu-tions of tho enrth on Its nxln had been completed, and Mr. Toggs avowed that tho mlllstono was growing heavier, tho fox was unwearied In his endeavors endeav-ors to claw out his vitals, nnd tho Inextinguishable Inex-tinguishable flres burned' with increasing increas-ing fury, nnd In tho face of all ho was growing moro nnd moro lamblike, Mrs. Toggs beenmo correspondingly moro alarmed. This complete chango could presngo only ono thing tho coming end, "Dear!" gasped tho tortured Mr. Hastened from the room, a picture of despair. Toggs, as ho turned a look of Intcnso longing upon his unfailing wlfo and noted her anxious face, "won't you send for Elizabeth to como and assist you? You aro overdoing yourself." Poor Mrs. Toggs could scarcely ro-Btrnln ro-Btrnln herself until she hastened from tho room, when she burst Into n flood of tears. Mr. ToggH was. certainly mortally III. In all their twenty-threo years of conjugal relations, ho had never beforo applied to hor so precious pre-cious nn epithet, nnd for tho first tlmo ho scorned concerned about her personal per-sonal comfort. And ho had broken his oft-declared law that thcro would bo no visiting relations of either side allowed In his home. Kllznbcth had a reputation for being nn exceptional nurse, nnd an export In tho knowledge of family remedies. So upon her arrival thcro was a resumption, re-sumption, or rather addition, of operations. opera-tions. Tho Indigestion loosened Its hold somcwhnt, and Mr. Toggs was grateful. "Clnrlssa, dear," ho said nssurlngly, as ho lay bolstered up In n largo rocker, rock-er, "I feel much better, and If I con- tinuo to Improve, nnd am well tomorrow, to-morrow, I'll give you $5 for your nursing nurs-ing and rare of mo." -Mrs. Toggs hnstencd from tho room tho plcturo of despair. Sho was suro ho wns dying, and when sho returned to his side, closely followed by tho faithful Kllznheth, sho manifested no elgn of Joy at her huslmnd'o assertion asser-tion of marked Improvement. "Elizabeth," nnd Mr. Toggs' volco grew stronger, "I'll glvo you $3, too. If I am well to-morrow!" Then Mrs Toggs had n presentiment by n rattling In the chest that ho wns marked for death, and hor llttlo body stooped In anticipation of the crushing blow. By noon Mr. Toggs declared that ho folt well enough to go out for n walk alxnit tho block. As he wns adjusting his lustrous high-top hat, ho said, "If you'll glvo mo tho monoy 1 suttlo tho account for tho medicines at tho drug-gist's." drug-gist's." Mr. Toggs never liked bills to hang. Mrs. Toggs handed hor departing lord and master a shining gold eagle a part of her week's allowanco for all household expenses. Tho druggist claimed half of tho gold, and Mr. Toggs tuckod tho chanso In his lower rlghtsldo waist-coat waist-coat pockot. But fooling a suspicious sensation that prophesied a return of tho tortures, ho hastened homo and calmly submitted to tho untiring efforts ef-forts of his faithful rursoa for -!llcf, That night Mr. Toggs fell into a refreshing sleep and awoke in tho momiiii; a completely dclluied man. ("Hero, detr, Is thnt $5 I promised you," and his thumb and Indox flngor went down Into tho lower pockot on tho right sldo of his waistcoat, and ho laid a $5 bill on the burenx. Mrs. Togrfs murmured her thanks between stilled sobs, but refrained from touching tho sacred testimonial of his dying lovo. For, surely, Mr. Toggs wns nenrlng tho end of bis earthly career, nnd his avowed Improvement Im-provement was only n delusion. Sho jazed upon him In helpless abandonment abandon-ment to the Inevitable. Mr. Toggs proceeded with his toilet, and when It wnR completed he turned suddenly townrd tho bureau nnd, picking pick-ing up tho monoy ho liml shortly beforo be-foro laid thcro, said in his old way: "I think, Mrs. Toggs, you saved this much on mo In household expenses, for I havo not pnrtnkcu of n slnglo meal whllo I havo been sick. I may ns woll pay Kllznheth with It." And ho hastened to And Elizabeth. As Mc. Toggs left tho room, his wlfo experienced a sensation of Joy. Mr. Toggs wns bettor. Ho was his old self again. Sho was rellovcd of tho dread that hung over her and sho was happy. "Hero's tho flvo dollars I promised you," Mr. Toggs snld to Elizabeth, who was busy preparing tho morning meal. Ho laid tho hill upon tho Bldeboard in tho dlnlugroom nnd strodo away. Mrs, Toggs nnd Elizabeth wcro so happy that thoy could only gnzo in admiration nt Mr. Toggs as they sat at tho table, whllo ho ato sparingly of the morning repast. Happy Mrs. Toggs stood with Mr. Toggs' lustrous high-top lint In her hnnd when Mr. Toggs appeared ready to leave for Ills office. After ho had taken n hist reassuring look at himself in tho hall mirror, ho went to tho din-Ingroom, din-Ingroom, nnd snld to Elizabeth, ns ho took tho $5 blil from tho sideboard: "I think your board hns been worth this much for tho time you hnvo been with uh ns our guest." Mrs. Toggs never qcstloncd her husband's hus-band's Intentions. It was enough that ho was well onco more, and sho was h'nppy. What Elizabeth thought and said ns Bho Journeyed homeward would not bo complimentary ns nn epitaph. All that day Mr. Toggs' countennnco wns lighted with n complacent smllo. Ho was a man woll satisfied with himself. him-self. Frank E. draff In Boston (Hobo. |