Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-22

street. And Ted here pinching the fat.
gravy smeared cheek. can have veloci-
pede.
Luella was not to be appeased. Fore
man of a plumbers shop she echoed
contemptuously. what does that
amount to? 1 suppose we can afford to
buy some more cheap furniture on time
and have it wear out before it's paid
for
You liked the furniture when we were
first married. and you know what my
prospects WERE Fred was goaded into
retorting.
"I hadn't seen-- She bit her lips
over an admission that she didn't care to
make.
Fred understood. He completed it an
grily. "You hadn't got acquainted with
Mrs Krent' he said. We'll, l can't
keep up with Krent- Pm sorry. I'd like
to have things as well as you.
They finished supper in sullen silence,
and the next morning breakfast was
eaten in the Same uncomfortable way. 1t
was Saturday, Luella's weekly cleaning
day. But she did not work with her
usual thoroughness. All day the bell rang
and she received packages for Mrs.
krent-shoe boxes, two big hat boxes,
and several long, fiat packages that were
either waists or shirts-mOre than Lucia
had bought i'm all her four years of mar
red life. Luella's envy grew until the
quarrel of the preceding night threatened
to be repeated disastrously when Fred
came home. 1t was seldom that Luella
let her temper get the best of her, but
when she did it was no light matter. She
was rapidly getting to an uncomfortable
state of mind when Mrs Howe, tired,
shrinking little woman living flight
above, came down to use her telephone.
Luella was bathing the baby then and
did not hear the low-toned message A
few minutes later Fred telephoned that
he would not be home till midnight He
| had to work. His voice was harsh. Lu-
ella decided that he was merely staying
away out of temper. She was glad-an-
grily glad The baby cried as he got
some water in his eyes. 1t had been a
| lonesome day for him, with mother who
| was too cross to talk to him. Luella alb
| sently rocked him to sleep. Usually dis
| content wore off while she rocked him
| and she did not mind being poor. The
/ feel of his smuggling yellow head was
worth mahogany furniture-worth even
| the staying home day after day. and
| evening after evening because there was
no one to leave him with. But today
there was no room for anything in her
| head but wrath and envy.
| The small bedroom was crowded with
Mrs. Krents packages. She had to push
them over to make room for Ted on the
bed. He whimpered a little in his sleep
as she laid him down. The plaintive
| sound did not touch her; it merely in
creased her irritation She felt it a re-
prOach.
She took advantage ofs his being asleep
| to go to the grocery and meat market be-
low and order for Sunday. And such was
her uncomplaisant state of mind that
| she deliberately ordered veal stew. which
] was Fred's chief detestation, although
the spareribs that he delighted in We're
massed high and fresh on the other side
| of the glass door of the refrigerator.
| Mrs. Krent came just she got back.
| Her pretty face was tired, but flushed
with the delight Of buying. She logged
her packages home and invited Luella to
| come in after dinner and view them.
| "Such bargains!" she boosted. Don't you
| love to buy?"
| Luella murmured an inaudible reioind-
| err. She knew that if she went in to look
| at all those purchases she would be sick
| with envy; and she knew at the same
time that she was bound to go, as moth
goes to the flame
| Ted woke up. then. fretful and hungry.
"A child Is lot or care, Mrs. krent
drawled. i've always been glad I
| didn't have any"
Before I.uella could answer Mrs Howe