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Show tJ T was tho evening of St. Val- I cntlne'a Day but Robert Bolton. I trudging wearily homeward after! IK I I the usual grind at tho office didn't (.. It. For him, remembrance! of the day of tho Little God of .ji Love had long since slipped back Into tho dim past, along with youthful enthusiasm, en-thusiasm, parties, shady lanes and . puppy love. y Ho did recall, howevor. as he J I turned In at the gate of his homo that I a houso-guoHt had been expected to arrlvo that day, a girlhood friend of his wife. As he opened tho front door ho caught a glimpse of their guest, Mrs Harrington, and his wlfo In the living room. Freed of his hat and coat, he traversed tho reception hall and started toward them But as ho crossed tho threshold ho '. paused, the eurtomary evening greet- II Ing still hanging unspoken upon his f lips. His wlfo was standing by the ; center table looking at him In that manner all experienced husbands have come to know means that the wlfo Is Btrlvlnp to send by "eye-wireless" a mfi'Trc nf tome sort. And. as usual. Bolton found It exasperatlngly unln- ' ! telllglble. Before her was a huge basket of . I fruit, an Impressive affair of artlsMc ' design and graced with a wide bow of pale preen ribbon and a long, arch-. arch-. Ing handle gaily colored. Opposite, eat Mrs. Harrington, smiling smil-ing pleasantly. And on tho table bc-- bc-- fore her reposed a box of candy, re-I, re-I, iplendent in its multi-colored rows of . confections, Its festive pink ribbon n nd Its near-gilt tongs. "You home, Bob?" said his wlfo. j perhaps through force of habit. Then L "he hurried on. "Your valentines ar-j. ar-j. rived beforo you. you sec. It was I Just darling of you, Bob! I almost I I feared you would forgot." And 6ho I flanced meaningly at tho fruit and , candy "Nina Insists it must be some I fond admirer other than you. But I j tell her sho doesn't realize what a I dear, thoughtful husband I have'" I Bolton stared at his wife and thon 1 mechanically shook hands with Mrs I Harrington, assured her of his pleasure pleas-ure at having her as a house-guest and Inquired about her husband's ! welfare. Mrs. Harrington answered his Inquiries In-quiries perfunctorily and hastened on to tho matter of real Interest. "Edith has quite distorted what I said to her own ends, no doubt," she laughed. "I merely expressed surprise and I Pleasure to find that Btlll there are huabands in tho world who remember the llttlo sentimental occasions that mean so much to a woman. Poor old Jack though he Is a dear In many ways wouldn't know St. Valentino's Day from tho Fourth of July, and If a basket of fruit should arrive In our houso on St. Valentine's Day I might bo tempted to lmaglno that I Indeed did have a tond and mysterious admirer. But I'd know absolutely that it wasn't Jack' Let me thank you for my valentine val-entine I Just adore Arlington candy --and for your thoughtfulnefls In Including In-cluding mo In your what shall I eay ""-St. Valentine devoirs?" Bolton swallowed hard. Ho was fM$A NdO V E 12 D U E VA L N T I N tJ JZIt 1 g q e,og?0? y prlwrfj Riddle Padgett -, r r ? afraid to look at his wife. Ho forced a laugh. "You can never tell, Nina, who Is the sender of a valentine," ho managed to reply In a manner Intended In-tended to be playfully non-committal "Perhaps, after all. Edith has a fond admirer end no doubt I had best look Into It at once." "Now, now," Interrupted the visitor gaily, "don't try to cover up your good deeds, Bobl" Bolton grinned. "Maybe it was Jack who sont them!" ho supgestcd. "I am iniro he's still a fond admirer "You can't wriggle out that way, Bob." Mrs. Harrington Insisted. "If Jack should do a thing like that I'd stralphtway faint; no, I bellcvo first I'd ark him what lie had been up to and remind him that conscience Is a terrible thing." "Don't be too hard on the poor boy," Mrs. Bolton spoke up. glancing proudly and gratefully at her husband. hus-band. "Even Bob sometimes forgots these these llttlo things. But St. Valentine's Day? Well, that was the day on which we became engaged t" And sho glanced archly at Bob, who flushed and smiled back dutifully. Presently dinner was served. It was an excellent one, no doubt: but Bolton had only a vague notion of what ho was eating. Ills thoughts were upon St. Valontlne's Day. And tho fruit and tho candy! Who could have sent them? Was ho Justified In taking tho credit unto himself? Would he bo found out? And properly humiliated? Confound It, why hadn't ho remembered remem-bered tho day! Edith was bo surprised sur-prised fnd pleased, and so proud to "show him off" before Nina. Well, right or wrong, ho uras In for it now and comforting thought! no self-respecting sender of a valentine would have tho bad taste to dlvulgo his ldontlty. At all events, he'd have to stick It out! Was he downhearted? No! Later, In their own room, when Edith thanked him prettily for her valentine he, graceless scamp, smiled and Bmlled as one who accepts laurels solely boeauso It Is more modest to do so and have it over with than to protest. "I was bo afraid you would forget, Bob," his wife added. "Nina is forever for-ever harping on the Indifference of the average married man toward his wife in little mattors of sentiment Buch ns this and you should havo scon her faeo when tho fruit and the candy arrived!" Bolton laughed. He decided to take the plungo. "It's kind of rough on Jack, isn't it? Frankly, my dear, I er a I camo mighty near forgetting 1L St. Valentino's Day! Do you remember re-member the time I sent you a V" The next morning, at his office, Robert Bolton ran through his mall and presently came upon a letter from tho Arlington Fruit Jfc Candy Shop. I Ho opened it and. to his amazement. -wr " " WMimam rffMB I" " I He Paused, Tho Customary Evening Greeting Hanging Unspoken I'non His Lips. found a bill for $4 GO for a basket of fruit and $1.60 for a box of candy. Ho reached for the 'phone and asked for tho manager himself, telllnp him In no uncertain terms that ho had not ordered candy or fruit there had been a mistake. The manager replied that ho would "look It up," If Mr. Bolton would hold tho wire. Mr. Bolton would. Presently tho manager apoko. "We j are very sorry, sir." ho Bald. "Tho bill should not havo been cent to , you " "Um-m-m-m," grunted Bolton complacently com-placently "It was our mistake, Mazlc, the j salesgirl who filled tho order, forgot, to explain to tho cashier that Mrs. ; Bolton left special lnntructlons that tho bill should be sent to her " "What's that!" "Mrs. Bolton said wo should send the bill to her, sir, not to you. We aro very sorry and will you kindly explain to Mrs. Bolton for us, air?" Mr. Bolton would; and hung up the receiver. So bo Edith had bought the valentines' And and he, poor boob, had pretended, even to her, that he had been the thoughtful sender! Geo whiz, how she must havo been laughing laugh-ing at him! And yot, after all, it wasn't entirely funny . Ho reached for the 'phone. "This la Mr. Bolton again," he told tho manager "It will be all right about that bill I'll pay It. Only mako certain another one is not sent to Mrs. Bolton. What? Yes, yes thank you, tho fruit was very nice yes, wo were quite satisfied. G'byo." Though ho had forgotten It at the proper time, all that day Robert Bolton Bol-ton thought of St. Valentine's Day and cursed 6uch a fool custom. At Intervals, bobbing up after sentences In interviews and wriggling in between be-tween the. linos of tho papors upon which ho worked. Cupids and bleeding bleed-ing hearts and baskets of fruit and boxes of candy scemod to danco in Inexplicable, perslsient fashion. By lunch time ho was in considerable consider-able of a funk. Ho dreaded the very thought of going homo and facing Edith Tho evening before when ho didn't kno ss much at bo knew now It was not bo very difficult to live up to tho honors thrust upon him. But that was last night! Well, the only thing to do was to square himself him-self And yet, how ? He thought of calling Edith up and telling her about tho bill, and that he hud already Bent a check to cover it. But that would still leavo patent tho fact that lie had forgotten about St. Valentine's Day which would I never do. No, It was up to him to "come acroB.s" and come across "strong!" Along about four o'clock he had an idea. Ho was1 in tho midst of dictation when It camo and he sprang out of his chair exclaiming. "That's the ticket!" Miss Spencer took it i down before she reallzod it could no, possibly bo a part of tho communication communica-tion to J B. Strutt & Co.. doalers in building supplies. "That'll bo all today, Miss Spencer," ho called back as ho dashed out of tho office, his hat perched ovor ono car and his coat sagging from an elbow. A brisk walk down tho street, and ho turned in at Philemon's Jewelry Store. Ho brushed nsldo sovoral solicitous so-licitous clerks and asked for Sam tho 6amo Sam who of old had advised ad-vised him ns to tho proper gifts for the courtship and young-marrlcd-llfo stagea "Hello, Sam," said Bolton affably "I'm up against It. Want a llttlo remombranco for my wife and can't think of a darn thing but a diamond ring, which won't do at all " Sam Bmlled. At once tho burden seemed to Blip from the shoulders of tho anxious husband. In his way, Sum was an artist. "Something nice, I guess, but not too steep, eh, Mr. Bolton?" ho asked. "May I ask If It's In honor of any especial occasion? A whole lot depends de-pends on the appropriateness of a gift, you know." "Yos yos it Is," Bolton answered. "It's a valentlno." Sam gawped that Is, If so olepant a person may be said to pawp. "Why why yesterday was St. Valentine's Day, Mr. Bolton!" "I know It, Sam. That's Just tho trouble." Sam prlnned. "I'm next!" ho said, brazenly Indifferent to his lapse Into Idiom. "And, Sam," Bolton leaned over ; the counter and spoke in a confldon- j tlal tone "could you er-a-could you i fix it so that it'll look like I bought It last week and and your delivery boy tbbk It to the wrong houso or or lost it or or oh well, y ou know what I mean!" Sam considered. Bolton fairly hung upon his decision de-cision "Well," said Sam presently, with an air that might not have exactly disgraced a Justice on the Supremo Bench, "it's a trifle irregular but but I can fix It for such an old customer cus-tomer as you, Mr. Bolton. Now, sup-poso sup-poso wo deliver tho article and then, after a while. I'll phono Mrs. Bolton and in my best official volco present our apologies and explain that when I you made the purchase wo hadn't another an-other one of them in stock, except the sample, and had to wlro to New York for ono? "Sam," said Robert Bolton, "you're la wonder! And now, what shall it bo?" "How about a vanity caso? Wo've I Just received the very late " "Mrs. Bolton has ono." "That doesn't mako any difference; a lady novor has enouph of them. What kind has Mrs. Bolton?" i n ue namea ji i Know on, yes. It's a sliver one and by Georpo. Sam! I remember now that only tho othor day I heard hor wishing for a gold ono for afternoon and evening woar. That's tho very thing! Let's seo what you've got." Sam coughod apologetically "That's rather high In gold. Mr Bolton," he explained. "But I can show you two. that havo been greatly reduced they wero forty and wo've marked them down to twenty-five. Of course, you understand, they aren't Bolld gold; but they are a very flno gold-plate on silver. And you need havo no hesitation about It being In good taste. Hero hero wo are, and both of them are beauties." That evening as Robort Bolton softly lnscrtod his key and opened the front door of his home ho again caught a glimpse of his wife and N'lna In tho living room. They woro intent upon something on tho ocntertable. Yet, somehow, It seemed to Bolton that the electric enthusiasm ho had anticipated was missing from his wife's manner. Just then sho looked Up, aware of hlB presonco. Sho rushed toward him, hands extended In protty welcome. "Oh, you dear!" she exclaimed. "It Is a beauty! But what a quocr prank to play upon mo1" Bolton blinked. He slipped an arm around hor waist nonchalantly and : they walked back Into the living room. Mrs Harrington, too, was strangely j unenthuslastlo and unimpressed, j Instantly Bolton knew that all was H not right; that there had boon a slip-up slip-up somewhere. "Why in the Tvorld didn't you send It yesteji. nob?" asked Edith. "Not H that I'm not Just crazy about it, dear, but valentines ought to arrive on St. Valentine's Day, you know." Yo godl Sam had forgot to H phone! Bolton explained. Ho paused for the effect Thero wasn't any. "It was dear of you," Edith has-tern has-tern d to assure him again. Then sho ventured a bolder stroke. 'I confess now. Bob, that when your basket of fruit camo yesterday I was a trifio disappointed you've always sent mo such handsome valentines before, you know!" Bob gulped. "But why in tho world didn't you toll mo yesterday that you had ordered this vanity coso? Just think of the thrill of waiting for it to cornel I H thought you acted strangely last even-ing even-ing didn't you, Nina?" "Oh. no," answered that pessimist ' qulto casually. "I'm used to Jack, you see. Really, I was overcome by my candy It was 6o thoughtful of you. !ism Bob. Now had It been Jack he'd S havo forgotten about It being St. Valentine's Day. much less remember-ing remember-ing to send anything I must say. H though, that today he'd have rushed H off and bought mo something hand- H some and really extravagant to H square himself. Bob, you couldn't help it if tho Jewelers had to send H away for it. could you?" "No. of course not. I gave thorn the dickens about it, too. today." lied H Bolton manfully. "They had tho or-der or-der at least a week ago, and there is no excuse for such a delay!" Just then tho maid announced a 1 telegram for Mrs, Harrington and H would sho pleaso sign for it? H "Bob," whispered Edith tensely, as I tho portlcros fell behind the retreat- I Ing form of Mrs. Harrington, "you have certainly mado mo look like a fool' I don't know how, but Nina understands the wholo thing she's not one bit Impressed. And I know perfectly well that Bhe knows you didn't send tho fruit and candy. She is sure you're Just like Jack and and I was eo so anxious to ha' e her think otherwise Why " "Well. I'll bo bo Jiggorod!" gasped Bob. To this day Edith has nover been able to solve tho mystery Bolton says the only thing to do Is to forgot It; or. if there must be somo answer, to blame it on an English sparrow. He's right, too! For how could either of them bo expocted to know that that afternoon, when Edith had her llttlo poodle out for a brief airing, tho 'phono rang; and Mrs. Harrington answered It; and the voice at the other end of tho wlro-without wlro-without preliminary inquiry, rushed on to explain that the bill for ho fruit and candy had boon BC.nt to Mr Bolton; and he had been surprised at first but had paid it; and the Arlington Arling-ton Fruit &. Candy Store was "awful sorry," but they'd forotten about Mrs Bolton's wanting the bill sont to her and and and It was Mazlo's voice at tho other end of the wlrel QJ WW |
