The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1907-02-28
HER FRENzIIEE. {
FINANCE

LAol1s sl.stEssFA sEEEa lg1.ttg iH.A.rl
"Too bad" he returned, sympathet-
ically. Cant you stave 'em off any
longer? I'd get a gun and shoot EN-
all. Then your troubles would be
over"
What are you talking about?" she
demanded with hauteur.
Creditors, of course. Haven't 1
fived and suffered, too? Do they send
collectors, Polly?" This last in a con.
fdential undertone.
Polly's dignity crumbled. yes, they
do-the impolite things!!"
"Impolite collectors?" the masculine
relative bristled.
Mercy, no! They're too polite-so
mysterious and confidential. l meant
the dry goods stores were impolite to
send the collectors"
"Oh!" with amused appreciation.
1--we thought of that myself"
81 tell you, the first of each month
I vow I'll never get another thing
charged as long as 1 live. It's perfect
ly d~isgraceful the way little things
count up. A card of buttons, a spool
of thread and a few other trifles that
1 positively had to have-and there
you are with a bill for $37.45. OF
course, I always buy at the stores
where my account is paid up the best,
but sometimes they all get behind at
once, and then I am in a mess"
"All? How many accounts do you
run, child?"
Give. So, you see, I nearly always
have credit somewhere"
"Quite a %financier! Well, Polly, I
hate to see you look SO disconsolate.
Would a five or a ten"
"a drop in a bucket!" She drew a
deep sigh.
"But, Polly"
"Oh, never mind; I'm learning to
take care of myself beautifully. I
snubbed a credit man the other day"
"You did,"
eyes. You see, l very tactlessly
walked into the store where Lowe the
most and asked the cashier to let me
have the money on a $50 check that
the Partrite Lumber company had paid
me for the big piece of typewriting
I've been doing for them evenings.
The minute I had spoken it popped
into my head that the cashier might
wonder why I wasn't applying that
fifty on account. I couldn't, you see,
because my dressmaker wouldn't wait
another day for her money. Well, as
luck would have it, the cashier asked
me to step in and get the credit mans
o. X on my check, and I walked into
his pen with my head up, and what do
you think that inquisitive man did?
He asked what the Partrite Lumber
company gave me that check for. I
was equal to it. I refused to tell him"
"Polly!"
Certainly. I asked him if he con-
sidered the Partrite company's check
good, and before he could say more
than yes I reminded him that all he
had a right to ask me in that case
was identification. With that I pu''*:
out my monogramed watch, my 1T
broidered handkerchief, my -
club ticket, a lot of visiting "a":>
a letter or two, and by rlf
pointed my engraved umh"
in his face he said sn., 3
like That's enough an the
check and wrote o X . <shing
all the time"
mo wonder ~ . re mascu-
line relative II is that he
gave you = ie must have
thought ,onest. Why, his
questio .ecly proper. It's
often a are all right you'll
probah it in a m~atter-of-fact
way q. ave come by the check
dist, the chances are that you'll
get Mustered Seer"
"Of coarse | see. If l had realized
that hetwas insinuating that J stole
that check ! wouldn't have accepted
his old o Il. d; all. 1 declare, if l
had the money THIS minute I'd take it
straigh, back II his old cashier. But
! haven tr,al 5 the point. I'll have
my .eaeuge IN his collector, though,
wheI he ON around. I'll be colder
than ever to him."
ooh, there's where you make a mis-
take, Polly. I always keep friendly
with the collector"
you may-if you can. l can't. AS
a class they're detestable; as individ-
uals they're intolerable. I freeze
them"
Even when you have money to give
them?"
do you suppose I give them mon
ey? If I had the full amount of my bill
right in my hand when the collector
rang the bell I'd turn him away coldly
and take a trip downtown to pay it
rather than do anything that might
encourage him to call again."
"Pshaw! A collectors got to live,
and If the bill has run until he has to
come, anyway, you might as we'll"
"No, sir! They'll eve get one cent
from me. I hate them"
"Polly, that's feminine. Listen.
now"
mo use. You can't make me give
them money if you talk all night
Why, I haven't any money to give
them. If l had, don't you suppose I'd
pay it at the store and keep the hate