r.

"There's been a terrible blizzard west of the Mississippi," she murmured
from the depths of the _Journal_.

"I'm glad we've missed a little misery," Toomey replied carelessly.
"It'll mean late trains and all the rest of it. We'd better stay over
until they're running again on schedule."

Mrs. Toomey ignored, if she heard, the suggestion, and continued:

"It says that the stock, and the sheep in particular, have died like
flies on the range, and scores of herders have been frozen."

"There's more herders where they came from." Toomey brushed the ashes
from his cigarette into the excavated grapefruit, and yawned and
stretched like a cat on its cushion.

"Think of something pleasant--what are we going to do this evening?"

"We mustn't do anything," Mrs. Toomey protested quickly. "If we spend
any more we will have to get a check cashed, and that might be awkward,
since we know no one; besides, we can't afford it. Let's have a quiet
evening."

"A quiet evening!" Toomey snorted. "That's my idea of hell. I'll tell
you about me, Old Dear--I'm going to have one more whirl if I have to
walk back to Prouty, and you might as well go with me."

Since he was determined, Mrs. Toomey arrived at the same conclusion
also, for not only did she too shudder at the thought of a quiet
evening, but her presence was more or less of a restraint upon his
extravagant impulses. She endeavored to soothe her uneasiness by telling
herself that they could make up for it by some economy in traveling. And
just one more good play--what, after all, did it really matter?

The theater was only four blocks from the hotel, but, as a matter of
course, Toomey called a taxicab. These modern conveniences were an
innovation that had come during his absence from "civilization" and his
delight in them was not unlike the ecstasy of a child riding the flying
horses. It availed Mrs. Toomey nothing to declare that she preferred
exercise and they arrived at the theater in a taxi. At sight of the box
office Toomey forgot his promise to buy inexpensive seats, but asked for
the best obtainable.

Carefree and debonair, between acts Mr. Toomey strolled in the lobby
smoking and looking so very much in his element that Mrs. Toomey
temporarily forgot her disquietude in being proud of him. His dinner
jacket was not the latest cut, but after giving it much consideration
they had decided that it was not far enough off to be noticeable, and
how very handsome and assu