e me five
hundred dollars just as easy as that--" He snapped his fingers at her
as he continued: "Do you hear? As easy as that!" His wife, still
skeptical, seemed to pay no heed, so petulantly he inquired: "Why
don't you ask me about it?"

Fanny again stopped in her work and looked up.

"What is it?" she demanded in a resigned tone.

Jimmie frowned. He did not like his wife's incredulous attitude.

"That's a fine way to ask!" he exclaimed. Imitating her tone he went
on: "What is it? You'd show more interest than that if I told you Mrs.
Brown's canary had died of the croup!"

In spite of herself Fanny smiled. She was too good-natured to remain
cross very long. After all, it was only natural that her husband
should confide in her. In a more conciliatory tone, she said:

"I didn't mean anything, Jimmie. What _is_ the idea?"

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
illustrations--"

"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!"

Fanny 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 wro