The Washington times., 1911-01-15
Andrew and Imogene
1 By Roe Fulkerson.
T YHO was that hungry,
w scared-looking girl met
going out as 1 came IMP"
asked Andrew at the din

ner table.
Oh that was Sadie Sanderson," re.
Piled Imogene, as she poured the coffee
What's the matter with her? She
looked like some one had been throw.
Ing crockery at her. She lodged as she
passed me in the hail."
well, dear" she replied, ITS small
wonder! The Washington school teach.
ers ~ as badly frightened as a rabbit
In city park. The new laws and rul-
ings handed down by Mr.. Tweedale
have them scared half to death. They
don't know how much money they are
making or when they are going to get
it, and this latest decision is worse than
ever"
What is it?" asked Andrew, as he
took a potato.
'Well' they have officially decided that
as the teachers work only ten months
year their monthly compensation
shall be one-tenth Of the sum they are
paid annually. Teachers don't eat dur
ing vacation. you know, and hiber-
mating is difficult in the summer
months.
Second, they have decided that as
one months salary Is one-tenth of the
years pay that one-thirtieth of one
tenth of one years pay is the daily
compensation. So if a teacher is well
up in common fractions she can deter
mine how much she makes In a day.
Now. as one days pay is One-thirtieth
OF one-tenth of her annual compensa-
ton, when she is sick for a day she
loses this sum, and the teacher who is
her substitute receives that sum from
the District direct. If a teacher is out
from Monday to Thursday she loses
three days pay, but If she is away FRI
day and Monday she loses four days
pay, although the substitute does only
two days work. But should she be
compelled to have one substitute on
Saturday and another on Monday, then,
although the substitutes each get only
one days pay, the teacher loses four
days pay, but there is nothing in the
decision TO explain who gets the pay for
Saturday and Sunday which does not
go to either the substitute or the
teacher.
Now, as "A result of all this Compli-
eating of one-tenth Of one-thirtieth and
one-half of one substitute. and fguring
whether the substitute is of the same
age ps the original teacher, the teach
erS have to wait till the fifteenth Of the
month for their pay, and the question is
whether the money taken from the
teachers during one of these Saturday
till Monday intervals when no teacher
gets the one-thIrtieth of ona tenth Of
the teachers salary, is not used to pay
the higher math. employees at work on
the ayroll!
It's these things that give Sadie that
haunted look. But that's not half the
trouble with her." continued Imogene
She has a brother down in the Pen
sion Office, and they have recently pro-
mulgated an order down there that
when 10 per cent OF the employees are
absent from any cause no leave will
be granted any one for any reason, and
her brother is married to a woman who
has a mother that Is rich, and she is
very sick, and he Is watching the rise
and fall of the percentage of leave
taken like a gambler watching the 1ise
and the fall OF the stock market, for
he knows that If 10 per cent of the leave
is taken when she dies he cannot go to
the funeral
Then, too, she has a sister UP in
the Treasury where they only allow
ten days sick leave, and this sister has
gone to her physician and had him
make out a list of diseases which only
last ten days, so she will know what
she dare catch, and while Sadie is sit
ting at the table nights doing examples
in common fractions 10 find out how
much money she is going to get from
her school teaching, her brother Is on
the other side figuring on percentage
table to see If he could go to the fun
eral Of his mother-in-law If she should
die the next day, and the Treasury-em-
ployed sister is memorizing her table
and repeating over the list of diseases
she must not catch and the diseases she
dare have, and one of the neighbors
stood and watched them through the
window the other night and then circu-
lated the report that the whole family
were going daffy-down-di and should
be sent over to St. Elizabeths. 1 tell
you, Andrew, it is a sad life these de-
partment people and school teachers
lead. Don't you think so?'
Truly sad, my love-" he said; truly
sad, but you know school teachers and
department clerks will happen in the
best of families.