But he was offended now.
"Oh, what"s the use?" he exclaimed.
"Go on, tell me," she coaxed.
"What"s the use? You wouldn"t think it was any good."
"All right, then, don"t!" she exclaimed, turning away. "I know there"d be nothing in it, anyway."
He followed her across the room. Airily he said:
"Is that so? Well, just to prove that there is something in it, I _will_ tell you. Of course I shouldn"t really expect to do it--but the idea"s there just the same."
"Well--what is it?" she asked, stopping in her work to listen.
Jimmie took a chair and sat down on it straddle-wise. Hesitatingly he said:
"You know the fuss the papers made about Stafford marrying Virginia and how the Sunday editions had page after page about it with ill.u.s.trations--"
"Yes--what about it?" she demanded, impatient to get to the point.
"And you know," he went on, "how clever he"s been in keeping this from them by sending out the news that she"d gone to Europe for the winter--"
"Yes."
"Well, if I was to go to one of "em and tip off the story that instead of being in Europe, Virginia was workin" in a hotel for ten dollars a week, and I would agree not to tell any other paper about it, don"t you think I could get five hundred for it? You just bet I could!"
f.a.n.n.y had listened with growing indignation. When he had finished she exclaimed:
"Jimmie, if you did anything like that I"d never speak to you again--never!"
Weakening before her outburst, he said evasively:
"I told you I didn"t expect to do it."
"Whether I think Virginia"s a fool or not," went on his wife, "she"s my sister. Right or wrong, she"s my sister and n.o.body--not even you--is going to do anything to hurt her feelings and get away with it without a fight from me."
Jimmie rose and resumed his nervous pacing of the floor. Hastily he said:
"I ain"t going to do anything to hurt her feelings! But I must say it"s pretty tough on a fellow to have all his good ideas spoiled! Take the one I had about the auto. I could have sold it for fifteen hundred dollars, but Virginia wouldn"t let me and made me send it back. There was a great idea gone wrong--" He was silent for a few moments and then suddenly he burst out: "I"ve got another one."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "I"VE GOT ANOTHER IDEA," SAID JIMMIE. PAGE 305]
"What--another idea?" exclaimed his wife sarcastically.
"Yes," he replied eagerly, "and even you will think this one all right."
"What is it?"
He looked round as if to make sure no one was listening. Then, in a tragic whisper, he said:
"We must bring Virginia and Stafford together again."
"Jimmie!" exclaimed his wife, looking at him in amazement.
"You know she"s still in love with him, don"t you?" he went on calmly.
"Yes."
"And he"s just crazy over her. He "phoned me again to-day asking about her."
"Well--what of it?"
A crafty expression came into her husband"s face. He looked wise for a moment; then he said solemnly:
"To make two people who are in love forget and forgive, all you have to do is to get them into each others" arms. That"s the way it would be with them! Only stubbornness keeps them apart now--just stubbornness!"
"Yes--that"s true," admitted f.a.n.n.y.
"Well," he said significantly, "it"s very simple--we must get them into each others" arms."
"How?" she demanded.
"Ah," he smiled, "that"s where my idea comes in."
f.a.n.n.y looked at him curiously. It was the first time she had ever heard her husband say anything sensible.
"Go on--tell me," she said eagerly.
"If she sent for him," he went on, "he"d break all speed laws getting up here, and if he came for her of his own accord--if she thought he did that she"d be in his arms so quick that she"d make a bounding antelope look like a plumber"s a.s.sistant going back for his tools!"
f.a.n.n.y looked puzzled. She did not quite understand his meaning.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Her husband hesitated for a moment as if not daring to suggest what was on his mind; then suddenly he blurted out:
"Suppose I "phoned him--right now--that she had sent for him?"
""Phone him--that Virginia--"
"Sure! He"d think she"d given in and she"d think the same of him. It would be a case of a pair of open arms, the rustle of a skirt, a little head on a manly chest and then good-bye John, farewell everything, and the lid is off! I imagine that is some idea!"
f.a.n.n.y clasped her hands nervously. Hesitatingly she exclaimed:
"Oh--I think it"s splendid! But--what if they found out?"
"What would it matter if they"d already made up?" he grinned.