Skinner's Dress Suit

Asking for a raise feels like an ordeal to Skinner, a cashier whose wife has complete faith in his value to the firm. At work, messenger boys tease him about the enclosure around his desk; at home, Honey treats him as someone worth admiring. Henry Irving Dodge turns that gap between public standing and private affection into a comic novel about marriage, money and the courage to speak up. The couple's carefully guarded savings give their household security, but their thrift has also left Skinner shabbily dressed.

New clothes bring fresh expenses and a change in how Skinner carries himself. He keeps a dress-suit account that includes both purchases and personal rewards, even recording a good laugh among its gains. His affectionate exchanges with Honey share space with office banter and awkward business encounters. The story offers readers a close look at the small habits through which confidence, appearances and household ambition meet.