Tom's Wife

"Tom, I don't believe you are well. You look pale," said Lucy Harwell, as she left her seat at the breakfast-table, and come over to her tall busbond, to administer sundry pats and pulls, as was her daily custoni before he went to business. Indeed, it seemed as if she thought Toni couldn't go at all, anti] she had given him these little extra touches. She looked up into his face, this morning, a trille anxiously, while she straightened his collar, and pulled up his cutis and gave him a general overlooking, as she asked the question. " I'm well enough, I believe, pussy," was Tom's answer, with a glance down at her fair face. "A little overworked perhapa, that's all." " Well, you mustn't work so hard Torn." " Easier said than done, my dear! You know our finn does a land-office business for youug fellows." " Well, that was what you wanted when you went in with Kassmann, wasn'tit!" "Yes. But we've got to pay out this year, or lose the business, and it keeps us on the grind, I teil you." " Um-m-ni ! " cooed Mrs. Lucy, getting hold of the upper button of his coat, and pretending to examine it intently. " Then perhaps I'd better not ask what I was going to." "Singit out, puss! Soine new gewgaw, I suppose ! " " Well- Torn- if we go to Mrs. Otto's party-' ' " Which I presume we shall have to do, though it's a confouuded bore!" put in irreverent Tom. " Now, Tom. It's a great honor to be invited to Mrs. Otto's ! " "Oh, isit? Excuse me then!" said Tom, looking down on her with a laughing light in his eye, which told he was only chaffing her. Tom didn't care for parties, it was true, but as Mr. Otto had already aided him greatly in his business, he did think it advisable to attend this one. "Well, what is it you need, pussy? " he added. " í need a new dress, Tom ! Indeed I do ! My best silk is, oh, awfully shabby ! Hardly fit to wear ! " "You have your eye on somethine, then?" " Well - Tom - there's a beautiful lieliotrope silk at Myers and Fink's, and [ve got lace that would do for a front "And what would be the full cost of the rig, my dear? " " Tom- I know you'll think it's awt'ul ! - but I couldn't get it, dressmaker's bill included, for less tlian a hundred dollars." Tom did look grave. But he would aot deny Lucy, when there was any way to avoid it. She was such a dear, bright little thing, and she kept his home so tiilv and cosy, doins all her work without a girl, that he feit as if she had a Kght to the pretty things which became her so well. Af ter a moment's study, li said, kindly : - "All right "pet. I haven't so much with irie, but if you'll come down to the office after a bit, I'll have it for you." " I'll come ! You're a dear, good Tom to let me be so extravagant. " "1 want you to have a good time while you can," answered Torn. But as he bent to give her a good-by kiss, he sighed, and she heard the sigh. Somehow she couldn't forget it, while she flew about doing lier morning work, setting her pretty house in order before she went down town. " Xow if Tom thought I really was extravagant he would have said so," she mused, as she dressed herself for the street. "And I shall not worry over it until he does." And she gayly tripped to the corner to catch the down town car. Riding along she chauced to overhear ■i convereation between two solid elejantly-dressed elderly ladies, which astonished her. " Well, I don't see how such people keep up!" remarked one, evidently alluding to some acquaintance. "My Imsband has great opportunities for business observation, you know, and he ïaya some of them are bound to go under before the winter doses." " Yes, it will be a hard season for Kiisiiii'ss men - Mr. Slemmer saye too," returned the other lady." "He thinks there wil] be a good many failirea among young firms, especially. They will aeed every dollai to tide ;hem over." "Dear me!" we all need that! said the first lady. " Those who have a few spare bilis laid awayfor an emergency, are lucky this year." The two left the car at that point, and Lucy heard no more. But she thought oneasily, as she pursued her way to the office, that they had not a dollar put aside, and if anything happened - what then? Mrs. Lucy did some sharp thinking setween the street-car and the office, and by the time she was in Tom's presence, her rnind was made up. "Pussy," said Tom, after she was seated beside liis desk, "do you specially want that new dress just now? " " Very specially," answered Lucy, calmly. "All right, then," and he promptly oounted out the money. Lucy saw a shade paS8 Over bis face, but. nut a wliit did she relent. 8he tucked the bilis away in her pocket-book thanked Torn with a kiss, and tripped out of the office Htraight over to Myers and Fink's. But the only purchase Bhe made that day as a pair di kid gloves. When she reacned home again ghe took the bilis Tom had given hei to her uw room, put them in a small ebony work-box, locked the box, and hid the key. And then spen the afternoon ripping up her old blue silk dress. Every breadth was diligently cleane. 1 and pressed, and next, Lucy bunted her well-saved stores for trimmings. A beaded lace front which bad already done duty, was produced, and by the addition of lift y cents' worth of beads, she changed the pattern and made it a new one. She bought a pinned paper pattern for thirty cents, and with its help made over the dress herself. On the night of the party she ireseuted herself, all robed and ready, to Torn. "Tbisia niy new dress," said she. "How do vou"like it 7 " " It is a beauty I (ïever saw youlook nicerl" cried Tom with enthusiasm. "But, Lucy, dear, isn't it pretty near the color of your old one? " " Well, yes! there isn't very much difference, auswered Lucy demurely. "But it is the fashionable shade, I assure you ! " " Oh, well ! if it's in the fashion, it's all right, I suppose," said Tom. " It's awfully pretty, puss. But hang me if I can see a hundred dollars in it ! " "You're a man and nut expected to see," returned Lucy, her eyes sparkling as she wouuereu what lom would say 1! he knew that dress had cost her just eighty cents, in its present form ? But Lucy was destined to be better repaid for her little sacrifice, before the evening was over. She knew that feminine eyes would be sharper than Tom's, and would recognize the dress as a madeover one, so it cost a little struggle to wear it. Just at the close of the party, Mrs. Otto, with the freedom of a prívileged elderly acquaiutunce, said to her: " My dear, your dress is very pretty." "Oh, Mrs. Otto, it is my old blue, turned and made over by my own hands ! " replied Lucy blusliing. ' " I guessed that," returned the elderly lady. "But do you know, I admire to see you in it more on that account ! It shows me that yuu are trying to help your husband, instead of burdening him with extravagance, as so many young married ladies do. I shall teil Mr. Otto he need not fear to put confidence in Mr. Harwell. With such a wife, he will be sure to succeed." "Thank you, Mr. Otto," said Lucy blushing now with pleasure ; for such a compliment from such a source, was worth having, and Lucy never enjoyed a party mure than she did that one. But she did not stop her saviug at that one dress. Every month Torn gave her a certain sum for her own wardrobe, for that, unless it was something special, like the party dress, she seldom liad to ask him ior money. She found that by various little economies she could make out to look nicely for the winter, with very little expense, so that the greater part of her money went to keep compauy with the bilis iii the ebony box. She was quite a skillful artist, too, and by a very little trouble, she secured seyeral pieces to paint for lriends whicfa paid her well, keeping it an entire secret from Tom. ' ' When we are able to do without saving," she would say to herself, "of course I sha'n't try to do this way. But anti] Tom gets his business paid np and established, I shall help him all I can." So, by dint of small and large economies, when the middle oï February carne, Mrs. Lucy's ebony box held just two hnndred dollars. One evening, just at this season, Tom slipped on the icy steps of a street-car, feil, and fractured his leg severely. When he was brought home in a cab, Lucy was terribly frightened, but she soon recovered, and showed herself a plucky little woman, doing everything whicti love and ingenuity could devise for Tom's comfort. It was a solid satisfaction to her, to think of the little hoard upstairs, but not a word did she say about it for three ■ r f' mr days alter the accident. As Tom was lying upou the lounge one afternoon, she heard him sigh restlessly, and glancing up, saw a look of pain upon his face. " What is it, Tom ? " she asked. " Do you want anything?" "No," responded Tom, " I was only thinking that it was such a pity this had to happen just now." "More now than any other time?" said Lucy, smiling. "Yes, indeed. We have tugged so hard to pay out to Morris, you know. He has half repented letting us have the business at the rate he did, and if we don't meet our last payment, he will make it as hard for us as he can. The paymeni is due next week. Kassmann has lived tighter than I have, to keep it along, and ['m awful sorry on his account." "Well, can't you meet it?" said Lucy. " Yes, we must. But here's this accident, doctor'a bill, and all the extras, besides the loss of time, which will force us to put a clerk in while I'm out - one man can't possibly do it all- and that comes pretty hard. We've either got to take that mach money out of the business, or 111 have to borrow, and cripple my credit right at the start, or get ïnto 1 don't know which is worst. I've acted very unwisely, and that's the truth. Wê ought to" have laid aside a little, at least, for an emergency." " I suppose it is due to your extravagant little wife that you haven't done so," said Lucy, as soberly as possible, with her cycs cast down, that Tuin iiiif_'lit not catch their mischievous gleam. " Now, pussy, I didn't say that!" " Xo, but it might have been said, you know. Well, Mr. Tom, suppose I told you that we did have a cozy nest-egg put aside, what then? " "I should sav vou were chaffing me, that's all!" " " " We'll see about that !" Mrs. Lucy rose, ran upstairs and came down again with her ebony box in her hand. " Count that, if you please, Mr. Tom!" Tom opened the box, and gave an exclamation of surprise. "Count it," persisted Lucy, quietly. Tom did so, and then cried out : "Twohundred dollars! In the name of sense, Lu., where did you get this ! " " Saved it," said Mrs. Lucy, demureiy- "But vod couldn't!" "Irather think I could and did! Do you remember the night we went to M rs. Otto's, you said my new dress was near the color of my old one? " "Yes." "Torn, it was the very old one itself ! I didn't buv a now one. I put every cent of that hundred dollars into thi's box, to begin on. I'll teil you how and why it all came about."" And down went Lucy on her knees beside Tom's lounge, and told all her little story. When it was ended, Tom's thanks and happiness were quite enough to satisfy lier and fully to reward her sacrifices, besides the satisfaotion of keepins out of debt they then and there entered into a joint resblution that there should always be a few dollars kept ahead, in that house, to be ready for a time of need. Which was certainly a wise resolution.