| Show O IKE a shot from l 1 It Rim gun It came camo And Arid thu Clue z devastation anil despair It loft left lec In Its HI wake made lua e a it 1 barren orren waste of oC a peaceful happy home for n a time at nt least lest It I n a Kansas cyclone nor the tire plague and famine It was simply n statement of ot Mr Ir uttered with without wih wIthout out elt suspicion and without guile lle to the effect that bo ho was nas going out with the ho hOYA boy lint night for Cor n it friendly Ito sit Bit Bitting al ting tumi Out with tho Mm If Just cd echoed as 3 one who uIa fonts Cent ears her ears cars have bavo deceived her Iter h r out with tho lie boys ysl Why hy Dorer I scarcely under un er ero Now o my dear Sir lr Ir J 3 hastened to explain that Hint Is merely an nu Idiom l You see ICI Torn Tom and nn fob Dob Do are aro having n mu little Ule sitting at their tint this evening and 1 Sitting queried Mrs 1 trip Ill Idly lilly mind an pray what Un that be beOh beOh Oh to bo hu sure Bure you dear Innocent lIttle woman Mr lr Ir J 1 soothed quite jauntily of or coui COUf course o you OU coul nt bo tue ex cx expected peeled lo to understand unter Sitting my dear deor means n mu quiet little Ito game came 1100 of oC poker Just between friends 9 gasped Mrs Irs J 1 Oh Ob Homer not not for money No o no Mr Ir hastened to ns as al assure sure buro luro her that IB Is not Dot for tor n it sum Dum to amount to anything Just n a nominal amount dear to malo the game gains Goro Inter luter Interesting eating esting you ou know knew II Ju was silent flent In her ler eyes eres was aes M bat faraway look loo of oC on one who sees beyond this alo nIo of oC woe as os n a status she sho wit sat It In eloquent silence Mr Ir J boson began con to fidget l In his hil eyes wait that look lonk that be became became came well wel the Iho nervous twitching of oC his bis lIngers Iner You see tec Ice Blossom sweet sweat he be began In Ina Ino a o vain attempt to pour ur oil 01 on the troubled waters Tom Toni called caled ore nio re up today told tol mo rue that tho the my good got old oll pals pol of ot bachelor days decided to ta gIve mo nio a 0 little party tonight n tort sort of ot pleasant reminder you know of or the thc good tImes Umes we c led to hove bavo 0 together Of OC course something has bos to bo be 11 done dOl to 10 pta PIUM P Pawa away awa the Iho time wo cant sit like Iko ninnies looking nt rut lt each ench cnn can wo so ho hue suggested that It might an as well velI wel bo bu poker OB nB anything else eile Now No I never did euro cora much about no po p In Iii 11 that so BO Mrs Ir exclaimed real snappish like nut Cut ut has hns It occurred to you rou that you ore aro leaving mo me alone tonight nil ni by myself Why Blossom oom Mr Ir J 1 answered quite qu virtuously surprised you will trill wi not be bo alone You told mo me Martha and ODd Agnes Agnon nc and several of ot tho ho gIrls arc nrc coming carIne to lo see sec you ou tonight Well Il they arent Mrs rN In trpo ed At least I shall phone them bern not to so 80 banal Oh I see se stilt said Air Mn r J 3 In a 0 weak tone tonta tone If I lint Is the tho way ny you fe feel l about It I I think of ot going Id ten tea thousand times hues bo io than rather with you I dont believe It I I 1 simply Imply cant be tc IlO It Mrs rs half bolt sobbed with wItha n a most mo t significant move mote toward her hand band handkerchief kerchief I dont ont believe by Homer I I actually lII believe you ire ra hoo hool tired U of toy stay Ins homo with II boohoo Mr r J made n a wild wid gesture lIke Ilko 10 huts his bl hair Now lo om he lie pleaded do tiO be belen sensible len What an nn absurd nh urd statement to ho tomake make maes as though bough I could possibly pos prefer preter to be lie any other place than thon wih with you Why why Well VelI el then sobbed Mrs J l complete completely ly I In I n team ten N why h do do do you yon 01 want trant wn 0 t to 10 go o You dont care about about the tie poker you ou sorl Of Ot course con rie noti not Of course cOIne not nut Hut you ou Koe blossom Bo n a fellow elton likes once In Inn Inn ina n a while to play a i friendly little Ito gamo amo will his old Pils antI and andI antII I know Inow III 11 Il cried Mrs J T 1 almost triumphantly I knew It You arent content with wih your our home howo ho LUC Youre bored lored utterly uter bored Very cr cry well wel go 10 and play your old oll poker oler go o right a dont wall walLa n a single minute I will wi Dot nol thundered Mr Ir J 3 quite Cult masterfully I will wi riot not I wont out budge bude from Crom this Mat I 1 dont want to tel tol And picking up tho ho phone he Informed Tom Toni that bat bIt bis wife Vito was a Ill I and that lint ho under any aly conceivable circum circumstances stances bo Io present Then heD ho he grubbed up the evening paper and oud began to peruse 11 IL I viciously Mrs J dried Irk her bor eyes c For n a long time site nhe hc sat ant staring at nt tho the light deep In the tho of ot some somo Foro troublesome weighty problem Suddenly she smiled smIle One could almost heir beir lien her cry crr of oC Silently she ittie left leC tho I Uj room fluid aud presently Mr Ir J 1 horl liar ler fumbling around aroun In ID the tie The fhe sound of or chain being lelu moved come came to him through tho Then nil till of oC a 1 sudden the I sound lound nf of poker chips yes poker chips lingered In ered on the lie hard horl surface of oC a 1 table brought him to hi hiI lila feet feet Passing to 0 the ho beheld the room stripped of oC Its Is cover two chairs In place neal a deck of ot cards and nd n a big hll plo of or rod red rel white while ble chips chIp resting lu IY on 00 Its pol pot polished poll lobed l bed What gasped Mr r 1 what what In Inbe be world worl you yeu doing Mrs tr JH Js JI face Coco was ns absolutely radiant rn lant all ni ready rindy for tor a n nice quiet little tto sitting Homer nomer dear ilear eor she eho beamed you OU wont miss your beloved beloc poker ter after all al oh Im sure Buro I can con learn lear the tho game In a n very ery few to If Just cs ex plain It I to me uric meIr Mr Ir hesItated between laughter enl tears and ended by br catching Mrs Mra Mr J JIn JIn In tn his IH arms J Then ho ti sat pat flown down to Initiate her bar Into tote the mysteries of oC poker pol r ni flit was wan simply that hat IL It was wn up to him and nad being by hy II nature anti and parly early environments of oC n a game gamo youngster Mr r struggled nobly nobl wIth the tho differ difference ence between three of oC n a kind Ill and two pair and nd the tho fact acl that ono one actu actually ocl ally have havo hlo to 10 have Jacks to 10 open anything better heter would do the tho In the oral end ho survived the ordeaL no Ho even went so 60 far as ns to pretend that the tho rest raid rr l of oC tho ho boys boya were weN there and dealt them hem hands and ond won their money And when Mrs Ird J laid down a n aces up which ho hue knew she Bhe had boo nil l bc thc h time tImeto to lila his on deuces ho bo on en helped her lien rake In the tho largo large and Juicy Juler pot pot More Mora than that hat nt at cloven cleven ha h even suggested ono one moro more morl round and was naB WI as 01 pleased d ton 9 a child with a 0 now new toy tor when lr J corralled c oled the tho remainder r of oC oChI his hI Why lr liy deer cried cled Mrs J poker eo so 10 ball la Is It I we 0 had hd Just an nn adorable evening Oh oh goodie goodie I have hove ill It You ask Torn Tom Tor and the rest rOlt of ot your our pals around tomorrow night I dont dODt mind your piny play lug Ing hi at till nil ul If IC you IOU will Wil only do 10 It at ot homo home where bere I can eon see yon 01 I Fine FInd Mr J One fuel Ill Il call cal them up tho ho first thing tomorrow In Indeed Indeed deed dear lear you have no eo idea Iloa how hour much I have bare enjoyed my evening out with tire the And Arid Mrs Irs J 1 was radiant 3 7 3 w I Ilo 10 it C on Went cut S So o Fur Far A An to u fr the tho Kent of ot hut Iho lv llo Un Ii n Were ere There here i |
