TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 313 



" Aha !" said the erudite young man, " I have it ! 

 We will buy the coat, put it in pawn, and you, you 

 shall hold the ticket." 



Mrs. A., puzzled by such lightning finesse, said 

 that she did not see how the pawning of the longed- 

 for coat would help the situation at all. She never 

 had any occasion to pawn anything, and her husband 

 would know quite well that she never had such a 

 garment to pawn. 



Mr. B., with airy confidence, gave it as his opinion 

 that when thoroughly grasped the carrying out of 

 his idea would be found to be as easy of accomplish- 

 ment as falling off a log, if not easier. 



The coat" was purchased, and duly put in pawn 

 for the sum of twenty-five dollars, and taking the 

 ticket Mrs. A. would explain to her worser half that 

 she had acquired it from Mrs. X., a lady who had 

 fallen on evil days, when Mr. A., if he had any idea 

 of the duty of a husband at all, would at once rush 

 to the pawn shop and please his wife by redeeming 

 the coat of coats. The plan, worthy of a better fate, 

 radiant with genius, worked like a charm at first. 

 Next morning Mrs. A. launched herself on a sea of 

 explanations, and mentioned the fact that she had 

 come across, on the previous day, poor Mrs. X., 

 whose husband was killed in the train smash at 

 'Frisco. "You remember," said Delilah, "we met 

 them on the train going to Spokane?" 



Mr. A. could not recall the fact, try as he would, 

 which was a mere detail, for one meets so many 

 people going to Spokane. That section of the 



