Page:Lynch Williams--The stolen story and other newspaper stories.djvu/133

 considers it her duty, as a matter of principle, you understand?"

Linton smiled amiably but was thinking, "Uhh, how smug you are."

The husband went on: "Now, my wife's very fond of shoes, and gets a great many of them. It's one of her hobbies."

"Well, I do know a ready-made boot when I see one," said Mrs. Wells, looking at her husband.

"Of course you do," said the husband, looking at her.

"You bet she does," said the young lawyer to Linton.

"That would make a good opening sentence," said the reporter to himself.

"At any rate," interrupted Mrs. Wells, shutting her eyes and opening them again, "those were not the boots I ordered, and as they had done this same thing before, and as I did not want to have so much space taken up with things I can't wear, why I returned them and, then, they sent them back to me once more, and enclosed the bill, too, the aggravating things; so I returned them again, and again they sent them back to me, and—