The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-08-01
THE B ATTL
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WeIsbach light. She wheeled in the re-
volving chair to get his kiss.
Are you tired, Morris?" she asked.
Her face was unusually thoughtful.
''Why-anything wrong, Nell?" He
dropped YEARLY into large, soft arm
chair.
Nothing wrong" she said slowly
except that you are tired" and then
she added wistfully, but are you too
tired?"
He smiled.
Not too tired, little wife. Swing out
on me"
She drew her chair nearer his. Her
hands were full Of papers.
I've been reckoning all evening"" she
said slowly, as he f0ndled her free
hand, and it's terrible"
ct know" he acknowledged sympa-
thetically. 1T is awful I'm a wretch"
But you really are, Morris" she
said. softly touching her lips 70 his
hand. You've worn my husband out.
and worried his wife TO pieces, and we
are getting poorer every day. Now lis
ten" she went on. How much rent DO
We pay?" And then she added IN a
guilty undertone. Il know it's mean of
IRE 70 bother you"
He smiled.
''Thirty-five dollars a month. What
else?'
Five dollars a month for gas" she
went on, with slow deliberateness; five
dollars for laundry; fOrty-f1ve dollars
for table; twelve dollars for heip-how
much Is that2"
Guess he exclaimed, his eyes twin
king.
Don't Norris" she cried, inwardly
hurt You must think Of money to-
night You rnustp'
Poor little Wife" he exclaimed, re-
morsefully. Il always put the whole
burden on youl How much is it?'
She looked at him graveiy.
It's one hundred and two dollars"
He whistled
Think OF it," she went on. And be
tween us we need five dollars a week
for little things-tha4's twenty dollars a
month-and three hundred dollars a
year for clothes-twenty-fiv more a
month. Altogether" she said, very so
berry, emphatically, zone hundred and
fOTty-seven dollars a month. And that
doesn't count going TO theatre, and pres
ents to our relatives, and vacation
money, and dentist bills, and things for
your Office. and books, and a hundred
other things. We really use about one
hundred and eighty dollars a month"
He took out his pipe, filed it, and
lit it,
zone hundred and eighty dollars. lit
tie managerr he cried. ''Wel, you're
a trump"
Now listen" she said, glowing with
pride at his words. Here's what my
doctor-man earns" She picked up a
bunch of carefully compiled index cards.
They were in her handwriting. Three
months back, one hundred and thirty
two dollars and fifty cents; two months
back, one hundred and ninety-eight dol
lars; last month, one hundred and sew
enteen dollars and fifty cents; this
month, one hundred and eighty dollars"
Pretty good, isn't it?" he smiled
cheerfully.
Wait" she warned him. That's
what you earned-but you didn't get
that. Three months back, ninety-five
dollars were paid in; two months back
exactly one hundred; last month, ex-
aetly eighty; this month-so far-twen-
ty-five dollars. But you'll get more, Of
course"
He pulled silently.
'WeIl. what have you to say?" she
demanded. She seemed greatly trou-
bled
HIM That's pretty bad! How much
have we drawn from the bank?"
Three hundred and sixty-f1Ve dol
lars. In other words. we're running
eighty dollars behind each month"
She sat back. They were silent for
fun minute.
The world outside and above them
the night and the human beings asleep
in twas intensely silent. Their nick
eled alarm clock thrObbed as If it had
palpitation Of the heart The white
light fell sideways on their faces, maxi
Ing them stand out in vivid relief-they
Yer ffue 17a
cval-shaped and olive-tinted, with large,
dark eyes and soft-roliing hair; the
mans strong and dark and determined,
his firm lips without mustache, his hair
bushy and black.
In the silence the light seemed. to
sleep upon them, perVading the room
with weird tmOsphere-thick and fun
OF the feel Of home. Every motion then
was full of meaniug-the slight puff of
the pipe, the culver Of the hands, the
vibration of their breathing. So thickly
charged was the air that Morris almost
hesitated to whisper.
"Oh, Nell" he said at length. eft Is
blessed 10 be with you. I love you so
tremendously"
tits wonderful" she breathed quick
iy. They caught the meaning in each
others eyes and became STEPPED in han
piness. It was good for them to sit
there, in their home, late at night, and
know each others presence.
but Norris" she said at length.
smiling, won't you worry a little We
must-we mustl Don't you see it's i'm
possille?"
He tried hard to see.
rs anything impossible to my little
manager"
She forced a frown.
Now. no more of that" she said
sternly. Listen, dear. Please listen
sensibly. Here's the whole secret of il /
you have a perverted sense of duty. |
What could YOU ever have done If your
father hadn't left you four thousand
dollars after he saw you through col
lege and the hospital? Morris, If YOU
quit charity, and set yourself to it. YOU
could earn a decent living"
Charity" His eyebrows went up.
yes, charity" she continued with
great emphasis. You had me come
down here with yOu-why2 To make
money? You know you didn't. dear!
You thought you owed a service to your
own people, and-and"-she made
srimace-"they seem to think so. too. !
Why, they've been sponging on YOU"
'Sponging?' He knit his forehead.
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