Show I FICTION THE ION STOCK IN TRADE jI j I CORNER By Richard Hill Wilkinson AMS AM'S pride his independent nature nature nature na na- na- na S SAMS SAM'S ture and almost belligerent disposition disposition disposition dis dis- position were his stock In trade Everyone said so They were responsible responsible responsible re re- re- re for tor his success as a real estate agent He always said what he thought regardless of at the con- con I- I s. s He Minute n ue gave no quarter 3 and asked none Fiction But he always k kept e p t his word That's why people tolerated him And now hed he'd fallen in love with Audrey Gardner Audrey was a amama's amama's amama's mamas mama's girl She depended on her mother for everything It was always always always always' al al- ways ways' Yes mama Of course mother dear Well if it you think its it's best mama It got under Sams Sam's skin A yes-man yes or a yes-woman yes denoted a weak character a spineless spine less shallow individuality But he had to take it and like it if it he was going to have Audrey He wanted Audrey That's why he swallowed and suppressed Secretly he was disgusted with himself for doing so After the wedding they went to live in a cottage close by where Audrey's mother lived Audrey's mother came over every day She made suggestions she issued com com- mands The dining room should be bedone bedone bedone done in blue the living room furnIture furniture furni furnI- ture was a atrocious the bedrooms were cold and barren Everything should be changed It was Sam ground his teeth and said nothing And when he tried to sell a building lot to a bridal couple they weren't very impressed They grunted grunt grunt- ed and stalled and said Hum Well Vell well we'll talk it over And went home Sam was wild Hed He'd never let Jet leta a prospect walk out on him like tha that t. t It happened a second time and yr He threw her hat parasol and handbag out the door after her ber a third It began bean to look as if Sams Sam's business were going to pot Three months passed Sams Sam's busIness business business busi busI- ness was on the brink of at disaster He had not sold a single piece of property since his marriage He began to wish that he didn't love Audrey that he could stop loving her E returned home one evening H HE to find that Mrs Gardener had spent the afternoon with Audrey She had come over for a purpose The purpose was to rearrange and do over the small room at off the living living living liv liv- ing room Sam used for an office and study Every other room inthe in inthe inthe the house reflected the personality and ideas of at Audrey's mother The study had been left until last Sam stood on the threshold and stared His desk had been moved Papers which he had left on top of it were swept into the waste basket Pink drapes hung from tram the windows The wall was decorated with a picture picture picture pic pic- ture of at a cherub There as a floor lamn lamp with pinkish frills trills hanging nr from its shade Slowly then more rapidly a fierce anger mounted in Sam Sane reasonIng reasoning reasoning reason- reason Ing fled from his brain He whirled His eyes fell on the triumphant pompous countenance of at Mrs Gardener He raised a trembling trembling trembling trem trem- bling forefinger and pointed it at ather ather ather her nose Get out he said his voice like a n threatening wind sweeping sweeping sweep sweep- in ing down from the mountains rowIn louder Get and growing ever out before I break your domineering domineering domineering domi domi- neck Mrs Gardener gasped She started started started start start- I ed to speak Get out roared Sam Get out Do you hear Apparently Mrs Gardener heard ti tiShe She gasped again but made no effort effort effort ef ef- ef- ef fort to speak Instead her eyes wide with apprehension she backed toward toward toward to to- ward the door and disappeared forgetting forgetting forgetting for for- getting her hat parasol and hand hand- bag These items however overtook overtook overtook over over- took her as she was sprinting down the walk Sam banged shut the door and leaned against it breathing heavily Slowly very slowly the significance of what he had done don struck home He had lost Audrey and he loved her but there was a warm glow of at satisfaction inside of at him Audrey stood In front of him Audrey Au IAu- Audrey Au- Au drey said Well my goodness its it's about time y you o u showed a 3 little gumption i had begun to think Id I'd married a freak I mean a man without a Ii spine The next week Sam sold fivehouse five fivehouse fivehouse house lots |