The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-03-22
Cannot you poggibly avoid tAatr. /

to file your petition"
"What do you mean?"
Become bankrupt" 1 explained.
That seemed to startle her. She
stared at me to see if meant it, and
I tried hard, and 1 think successfully,
to look as though l did mean it.
"Nonsense!" she protested.
l shrugged my shoulders. "It's I'M
pleasant, admitted. but very often
it has to be DONE"
And have my name in the newspa-
pers?"
That is one of the conditions. You
see, when you came of age last March,
and so many people gave you so many
presents, you ceased to be legally 1r-
responsible. You can become bank
rupt now quite as legitimately as can
stock broker"
81 wont!'' she said, very emphati-
cally.
1T may not rest with you" I re-
minded her ''One or more OF these
firms may apply for an order against
you"
"Oh, but they wouldn't" she ex-
claimed.
"And" went on, "even If they do
not do that, they are almost sure to
summons you in the county court.
Surely you must understand that you
can't run up bills in this way, with
out any means of paying them! AT
any rate, you can't do it with impun-
ity! 1t looks so much like trying to
swindle somebody"
But I'm not trying to swindle any
body" she assured me. She was be-
yond the verge of tears now.
'Of course not" l agreed. "But in
a county court they look upon every
one as more or less of a swindler. The
judge wouldn't know you so well as
/ do
Judges must be brutes," she avow-
! ed
1T is not altogether their fault" l
said Their calling makes them
brutal"
And what would happen then" she
inquired
1T would depend on what sort or
mood the Judge was in" said.
| can't bear to see Mildred in dis
| tress, but l hoped to discourage her
| in her mania for running up bills that
she can't pay.
DO you think it would be of any
use to apply to your father?" said |.
Il daren't," she replied. Il simply
daren't. Things have been going rath-
err wrong in the city lately, and MS
tempers really awful, especially on
the question of money. He does MOTH
ing but talk about cutting down ex-
! penses."
Inwardly wondered why fathers
are always talking about cutting down
expenses 1t seems to be sort OF
monomania that accompanies pattern
ity.
Then you are sure there is no hope
from that quarter?'
Quite sure,' she replied.
| 1 was silent for awhile. was
| thinking out, scheming, reckoning
ways and means, pros and cons-not
that they needed much reckoning.
LAS far as | can see," I said at
length, there is only one person who
can get you out of the difficulty"
And who is that?" she asked, with
out much enthusiasm. She evidently
did not believe in the existence OF
such a person. She was entertaining
confused visions of the bankruptcy
and county courts, with possibly a
| prison cell in the background.
Your husband" said very calm
ly, although my pulse was beating at
a tremendous rate.
But 1 haven't got husband" she
replied impatiently.
You are quite old enough to have
one," 1 observed. And you are too
young not to have one-to look after
you and pay your bills for you"
"And lecture me and talk about
cutting down expenses she retorted.
! THANK you. One of that sort in the
family is quite enough for mel"
THE husband / was thinking about
wouldn't lecture you and wouldn't talk
about cutting down expenses. He
would not lecture you, because he
would be too fond of you; and he
wouldn't talk about cutting down ex-
penses, because things happen to be
rather f1ourishing with him, and look
like improving"
And where am to find this affec-
Tomato, f1ourishing paragon?" she in
quired.
IF you will look straight in front
of you he will be the first man you
will see," said.
"What?" she cried, not pretending
to misunderstood me. Marry you
merely in order that you may pay my
bills? You don't pay me very great
compliment"
NO" I said mot merely in order
to pay your bills, but that may look
after you, and most of all, that may
I ~.