The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-06-13

my light. BY George" as he opened
i. the paper, Ellison & Briggs are In the
hands OF a receiver! Well, that means
1 am out a cool three hundred"
How DEAR" solicitously.
"Oh, client of mind held lot of
their paper. Knew they were on their
last legs and l was trying to get some
of it before they failed"
Helen glanced over his shoulder at
the big headline, ELLISON & Briggs in
the Hands OF Receivers. Liabilities,
$4,000. Assets, $280000.
For months the papers had been full
of just such failures. Helen had
skinned over the many headlines, but
it had all seemed SO impersonal, as
had, too, the general discussion on
the hart times"
All national problems are regarded
with impersonal concern by most
women The feminine mind is con-
cerned only with the difficulties that
directly affect herself or those she
loves.
But now the failure of Ellison &
Briggs meant to Warren the loss of
three hundred dollars. This was a
concrete example of the hard times
affecting them that Helen could under
stand. Had he suffered other losses of
which she knew nothing? for Warren
rarely talked shop at home.
He had taken some papers from his
pocket and was now going over them
broodingly, his face showing unmis-
| taxable signs of worry.
Dear, has it been a very bad year
for you?"
We'll, it has not been particularly
good one
why don't you tell me when things
! are hard? | could try to economic
more about the house and about my
| clothes"
"Oh, the little you would save would
not cut any ice. 1t is the big fixed
| expenses that count. My office alone
costs over three hundred dollars a
month and it is as much more here.
! Helen was far from an adept In
! mental arithmetic. but after a few
moments silence she managed to figure
out that six hundred month was
about twenty dollars day
Twenty dollars a day! Why War
rem, that seems awful
! 1T seems light when business is
good"
"Oh, if there was only some way
could help" longingly.
"NOw you Just stick to your knitting
and let me do the worrying-this is
my job
And you bought me that lavalliere
Christmas. and | got that dress last
week! Oh, there are so many things
| could do without"
"Well you don't have to- An occas
ional furbelow or so don't matter sc
much woman can't understand that
it is the regular fixed expenses man
is up against Steady grind, | tel
you-and in times like this 1t is nc
cinch"
Fixed expenses" Helen kept
turning the phrase over in her mind
She had never even thought of his
office expenses. and like so many
women, she regarded their household
bills-the rent, maid, ice, milk ano
groceries-aS matter-Of-cOurse necessl
ties, and not in the light of eXpendi
lures.
This is the view point Of most WON
en- who have been provided for all OF
their lives. They take the necessities
of the home for granted. 1t is only
the extras, the needless extravagan
ces and Injuries, that they consider
as real expenditures.
In vague way Helen now realized
this. She thought of the times WheI
Warren had spoken of receiving ar
especially good fee; always she haC
mentally appropriated the money te
the buying of extras. Somehow she
had never thought Of it as paying the
rent.
But now the office rent their apart
ment rent, and all the fixed expenses