IT'S AN ILL WIND
When Henry left the restaurant the position was as black as ever. He was no nearer a solution of the ticklish problem than he had been before.
To return without the hat and explain Henry hurriedly thrust the thought aside. To try to borrow a futile hope. Who would have money to lend on the 25th of the month?
forlornly on his head and left for the street.
Suddenly a thought came to him. He could have shouted for joy. It was so ridiculously sim
ple. He wou enter a shop,
choose a hat...
promise to pay ・
for it at the end of the month.
He would surely be trusted for a few shillings. After all, he was a Head Clerk, and besides the Miserably Henry sat down to end of the month was not far dis- his books again.
On the figured page before him rose up a never-ending stream of hats-felt hats, top hats, bowler hats, panamas-hat, hats, hats!
With a groan Henry shut his: eyes.
Suddenly he glanced up at the clock-nearly 5 o'clock. How time flew. He wished --that it would never be 5 o'clock.
But time waits for no man. A busy stir around him. told him the other clerks were preparing leave.
to
He put his books away and with a heavy sigh rose to his feet, clapped the battered felt
hat
tant.
True, his wife only gave him small allowance, and ther
and there would be barely enough to pay for a de- cent hat, but the thought of his wife's ire
The south-easter had become stronger and blew fitfully down the street filled with office work- ers hurrying homewards.
Near the railway station he felt a tap on his shoulder-
-turning round saw the beamin face of his fellow-traveller of the morn ing.
"Dusty, isn't it?" began Smith cheerfully. "Come and
have a cup of tea," and, without wait
arlsberg
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(Continued from Page 1)
ing for an answer, he linked-arms with the feebly protesting Cramm and dragged him gently but firm- ly into the Station Tea Rooms.
At 5.55 they parted, company. Crumm hurried to the Castle- street exit of the station, deter- mined to get to the hat shop be- fore closing time.
His wife usually attended to the stocking of his wardrobe, and he had not done his own shopping for years. After much thought, however, he had decided to choose a hat at
Brayne and
Bonnet, essng-street.
He
knew one of the assistants there, * decent chap, just the sort of fellow who would understand.
Down Parliament-street the south-easter raged. The wind had increased in velocity during the afternoon, and now it swooped on the city with fiendish
glee
Crumm grasped his hat firm- ly, bowed his shoulders to the wind, and staggered up Parlia- ment-street.
Dust and scraps of paper flew unheeded past him. Gasping and panting he battled on, seeming to make no headway. He paused against the wall of a building, tryi to shield his eyes and mouth from the flying grit, and was sold a newspaper by an en- terprising, newsboy,
The wind fell for a moment ånd he staggered on
Ah, now he was under the shel- ter of the G.PO. arch. He drew a deep breath.
Then with a whoop the wind. tore down the street again. The newspaper he had bought wound itself affectionately round his bony legs. In vain he struggled to free himself from its clinging embrace. Dust filled his eyes and mouth.
Frantically he grasped
the
paper with both hands, and with a fiendish whoop of triumph the wind bore his hat on high aver the railway station.
The sudden gust, which passed as quickly as it had come, left him gasping and choking.
His eyes smarting, he stopped to release the last pieces of new paper from about his legs.
his
As he felt the wind on damp forehead he suddenly lised that he was bareheaded. Frantically he gazed about him. Ah, there lay the hat in the gut- ter at the bottom of the street. Henry scampered wildly after lit. The wind playfully, moved it for- ward a few feet. Henry poupe- ed on it, dusted it hurriedly and jammed it firmly on his head.
Suddenly he glanced at his watch. Heavens, it was 6.5. All thoughts of shopping fled from his mind. The train left at 6.9. He sped for the platform.
I
as if I should have trusted you to do anything your self. Of course, it's too big for you and slightly shop-soiled. But there, it's real Siciliano and I'm
the assistant made mis- take in the price so perhaps you had better not risk changing With a piece blotting paper
side
Henry William Crumm, ing va antly into space, nodded.
small
urching
Pepper
and Salt
upply and Demand TouristWhen I was here last
there were two has become
NativeW
down."
Tourist "WHY?
Native
was, only
one.
enough
What
Brevities On his birthday, a European dictator was the recipient of a pair of gift giraffes. A balcony is the handy place for looking same in the mouth.
For us, the coronation has just begun. We're in for six solid and long weeks of It in the news reels.
News by radio can't take the place of a newspaper. You can't hunt it up later to settle an argu- ment.
Rising to the Occasion A small boy was asked to dine the home of a distinguished- professor. His mother question- ed him on his return.
"You are sure you didn't do anything that was not perfectly polite
?" she asked.
“Why, no, nothing to speak of.” "Then something did happen?” "Well, while I was trying to cut the meat it slipped off to floor. But I carried the situation off all rights!
"What did you do?” "Oh, Just said carelessly, "That's always the
with tough meat.”
Trustful
way
Landlady: “Of course, I must ask you for a deposit
New Tenant thanding over re- quired sum)-
Landlady
And now, do or shall we
Well-Know!
"Haven' seen your fa fore?" asked one
"Perhaps, wa
ing reply, "I was a wa jail for 25 years.
Small Size!
"These gloves are about sizes too small for me.
"Well, you asked for kid gloves, didn't you
"Nine out of ten,
the South American jungle have stumbled across ancient ruins, remarks a writer. The tenth, we suppose looked where he was go- ing
Many people believe that should have a census of the job Tess. A good way to ture idle ness would be to hire the unem ployed to count themselves.
gathered.
They are staring with envious eyes at something Suddenly the admiring crawd
arts. figure stops out.
It is a small urchin as tat as the res yet something.
shes him from the
him in a class
His friends are baráheaded,
head he wears a Hat ather band inside bears
WH.C