Bought and Paid For; From the Play of George Broadhurst Part 48

"But do you think it would be right?"

"Oh, no!" he cried mockingly. "Certainly not! It would be a terrible crime to unite a husband and wife and fix up a broken home! To say nothing of giving me back my regular job at a hundred and fifty. Shall I?"

f.a.n.n.y wrung her hands with excitement. It certainly was a daring plan.

"I--I'm scared," she stammered, unwilling to commit herself.

"I'm not," he said boldly, "I'm never afraid of any game where I can't lose! And if it came through, you know what it would mean for us--good clothes, good food, money to spend and nothing to worry about except moving down to a Hundred and Twenty-fifth street! What do you say?"

"I don't know--" she answered hesitatingly.

"And then," he continued persuasively, "you must think of little Virgie. A baby makes a lot of difference--"

"Indeed it does," she replied warmly. "I bet Virginia would never have left Robert if they had had a baby."

"Shall I do it?" he asked tentatively.

"I'm scared. I am--honest I am!"

"Oh, go on! Be game!" he coaxed. "Besides, we have everything to win and nothing to lose and for a gamble you can't beat that!"

"But, Jimmie--" she exclaimed fearfully.

He paid no attention to her objections. All absorbed in his idea, he went on eagerly:

"There's no time to lose. Virginia's likely to be back any minute now and if we're going to put it through, we must do it quick. Shall I?

Shall I?"

f.a.n.n.y, fl.u.s.tered, was at a loss what to say.

"Why do you put the responsibility on to me?" she exclaimed. "You're the one to decide. You're the head of the house."

He grinned. The head of the house? Of course he was. Why hadn't he thought of it before? That being the case, he need consult no one but himself. Swelling up with self-importance, he exclaimed:

"Sure I am. I'll do it!"

Going into the hall, he quickly took the receiver off the telephone.

"Jimmie!" exclaimed his wife excitedly.

He stayed his hand and looked around.

"What?" he asked.

"I don't think you'd better," she gasped.

He eyed her sternly. If she had always awed him before, it was different now. As the originator of an idea that was going to save them all, he held the whip hand.

"See here," he exclaimed, "Who is head of this house?"

"I don't think you'd better," she pleaded.

Shaking his head, he paid no attention to her protests:

"I'm going to just the same," he said firmly. "You've got nothing to say about it. I'm the head of this house." Taking off the receiver he spoke into the telephone.

"h.e.l.lo--h.e.l.lo! Give me River 2540. Is this River 2540? Is Mr. Stafford there? Please tell him that Mr. Gillie wishes to talk to him. Yes, his brother-in-law, Mr. Gillie! Is that you, Mr. Stafford? This is Jimmie!

No, not James--just Jimmie! Virgie told me to 'phone and ask you to come for her. Yes--that's it--I guess she can't stand being separated from you any longer. All right--I'll tell her. Good-bye!"

Hanging up the receiver he closed the door and exclaimed triumphantly:

"It's done!"

"Oh--I'm scared to death!" gasped f.a.n.n.y.

"I ain't," he grinned. Proudly he added: "After all, it takes a man to rise to the occasion."

"But if it should turn out wrong?" persisted his wife.

He shook his head incredulously as if such a thing were an utter impossibility. With a shrug of his shoulders he said:

"It's done now and that's all there is to it. I'll bet that by this time Stafford is in his machine and das.h.i.+ng up here like mad. Suppose he should get here before Virginia?"

"That would spoil everything!" exclaimed f.a.n.n.y.

"Not necessarily," he replied loftily, as if no problem was so difficult that he could not grapple with it. "I'd probably get some kind of an idea in time to save the situation. Leave everything to me."

f.a.n.n.y, lost in thought, said nothing, while her husband nervously paced the floor. Glancing at the clock, he exclaimed impatiently:

"I wish she'd come. She ought to be here by now--"

He stopped and listened, and then going out into the hall, opened the front door. No one was there and he came back into the room:

"I thought I heard her key in the door," he said.

"I'm so worried," exclaimed f.a.n.n.y anxiously.

"What about?" he demanded airily. "I did the 'phoning. If there's any worrying to be done, let Jimmie do it!"

"I wish you hadn't," she said timidly.

"But I have," he cried. "Great Scott, ain't that just like a woman!"

Rea.s.suringly he went on: "Now look here, f.a.n.n.y, you leave this to me.

When Virginia comes you make yourself scarce, get busy in the kitchen or something and I'll talk to her. You'll see that I--"

As he spoke there was the metallic click of a key turning in the front door lock.

"Holy Jupiter!" he exclaimed. "Here she is! Be careful what you say."