The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-07-25

1o& ~ aACASJ ~ NAO hOa20 ~ NM
thing should happen" He CAV his
smile of amused and slightly wearied
patience, and drew forth a roll Of
g-eenbacks. Drawing out three one
dollar bills, he gave them to me with
the remark:
Here, take these to use as you
please in case anything should hap
pen,' as you say. Remember l gave
them to you, however"
His speech left me with an uncom-
Portable feeling when he told me
good-by and went to town. AS he
was not to be back for three days, he
had suggested that l ask an old school
mate Of mine to make me a little visit
during his absence. She arrived that
noon In the afternoon she and l
went for a stroll down the one bust
ness street of our little town. Our
only drug store was an agency for a
popular candy firm. My friend called
my attention to this fact, adding:
Let's get some caramels-I'm can
dy-hungry!"
She tried to pay for the pound of
sweetmeats, but as she was my
guest my ideas of hospitality inter
fered with my allowing her to do so.
l laid one of the dollar bills my hus-
band had given me on the cashiers
desk. What would Alfred think? l
wondered with a little thrill of ap-
~prehension.
1 was soon to know. When l
reached home l found a telegram
from Alfred saying he had received a
letter at his office which made his
trip unnecessary, and that he would
be home to dinner.
We were in our own room that
night before he spoke of the money.
"By the way" he said suddenly, II
will need ONE change tomorrow
morning, and have only large bills
with me. Let me have those three
ones l gave you this morning, will
you? l will give them back to you
before 1 go on my next trip" he add
ed teasingly.
And then l had to admit that l had
used sixty cents. He asked for what
L hdh AttuNu H. Nv = LCAI Inv -
naughty child when I murmured guilt
lily, "Caramels."
The humor of the situation did not
strike me then. Even now l cannot
smile at it, for l remember his con-
temptuous laugh.
You said you wanted to have
money on hand If anything happen
ed,'" he remarked. "And candy was
what happened. l fancy that is the
silly kind Of thing that would often
occur If you had the handling of the
family purse"
When the elder of our two boys
was five years of age, the firm en-
ploying my husband failed. He had
little trouble in getting another posi-
ton, for he had engaging manners
and personal magnetism, and was
popular with his business acquain-
tances. But the new position made
our moving into the city a necessity.
My husband did not like the idea Of
an apartment, so we decided to take
a house, although our income really
did not warrant it. 1 opened my eyes
in horror as l heard what the rent
would be, but Alfred, always sanguine
when prompted by desire, assured me
that l had no need to worry, as that
was his business, not mine. "If I can
stand it l guess you can" he said
shortly, and l was silenced.
But l soon learned that he could
not meet all the expenses incidental
to a city residence. He became mo-
rose, unhappy, and, at last, when
begged him to confde in me, he burst
forth with:
Our family costs too much! Some
how other men can get or with a sal
airy like mine. But we can't! l sup
pose you feel now that you're in town
you must make a splurge, for your
bills are half as much again as they
used to be.
You have ordered new carpets,
new hangings, and new curtains
while in the country you were salts
fed with those you had"
l saw ne was in one of his unrea'
sonable moods, but l tried to ex-
plain. my dear Alfred" l pleaded,
Il told you that it would cost a great
deal to furnish a city house, and
wanted to make the things we had out
in the country go as far as they
would, but you insisted that l get the
carpets, rugs, and hangings of which
you speak. Yet l did not get as hand
some articles as you suggested"
"Oh, that's it," he exclaimed. Say,
4 told you SOL but the fact remains
that l advised you to get what was
necessary, and, of course. to buy good
things, thinking that you would have
sense and judgment enough to &c
slowly and easily. The result is but
another proof that you have no idea
of the value of money. 1t serves me
right for thinking that you had!"
Yet, the next week, he proposed thai
we engage a second maid. l showed
him how much this would increase
our expenses, but he said he knew
where the money vas coming from
and insisted that / hire a girl who
should be waitress and chambermaid
The maid-of-all-work thus became
cook and laundress.
Oh, that first winter in town. How
hard 1t wasl Burdened with the
sense Of loneliness in a great city
with the knowledge that we were liv
sands Of shares Of worthless stuff. OF
oopoarn aIooa the unIv Tarror