The Washington times., 1914-10-24
Peter'SAdVentureS
in Mdtrin1Ony
By LEONA DALRYMPLE.
NO. los.
ART AND DEBT.

l(<Y'M sorry" said, after an electric
interval, "but, Mary. 1 am not
going to use this $3.50 for any
p, thing so foolish as an art course.
You can do very nicely without Signor
Casetti, and he can do without you
| Mary looked hurt Just what are
you going to do with it?' she de-
| manded.
| I'm going to pay up a lot of little
bills. We've been running behind, as
you know, and we're more or less in
| debt. Beside this will give me enough
ahead to keep a check account. My
| salary was always gone so long before
drew it that it was silly to put it in
| the bank"
| What do you mean?" asked Mary:
81 don't understand your horrid old
/ banking stunts. Peter
| Il mean," 1 said, that ] shall de-
posit every single check in the bank. L
| mean that l shall put into execution 4
pet stunt of mine that I've had ever
| since / discovered that money gets away
| from you so easily. Each month l shall
give you $25 for yourself. No, on second
| thought, can't do that, either. l shall
| do this: I, personally, will pay every
| household bill by check-it's an auto
matte system of bookkeeping, anyway
, and, then, whatever money is LETT at
the end of the month, after every single
bill is paid. you and will divide evenly.
That's fair enough, I'm sure"
"But-but," protested Mary. suppose
\ there isn't anything left? What them
WELL" said l. ''in that case you'll do
| without it, and so will I. One won't
II think that's perfectly horrid.
said Mary, almost in tears. '1'l never
| know whether 1 have any money or
not
II never know now" I suggested
grimly And I do all the worrying.
I'm through with that. I've asked you
to economize. and you can't seem to
| swing it. When I give you money to
put aside for anything It just sort OF
| filters through your fingers
"But-but it comes out all right" put
in Mary, eagerly. Didn't ! use up the
payment on your fathers note for
Christmas things. and then: Peter. re
gave you the whole $3.50 for a gift.
That's an awful lot Of money
ITS lot of money" 1 agreed. as
long as you don't have your pretty nm
gers on it. Once you touch tit some.
how won't seem so much. NO, dont
mean to be disagreeable. Mary. We've
literally come to the end of the rope. 1
can't and won't have Dad putting. bis
financial muddles that 1 ought to have
! sense enough to keep out OF. 1 make
an excellent salary. My father and
| mother. and your father and mother.
began on half as much and got along
beautifully. Why We can't do it Is
| mystery to me. but for time. at least,
I'm going to manage the purse strings
and see how we come out. We made
our biggest mistake when We took an
apartment as fashionable as this, and
we made big mistake when we got the
social bee in our bonnets." I said I'VE"
merely out of politeness. I've never had
the social bee to any violent extent.
Mary, has it badly, and she drags me
with her.
But Mary wasn't listening to my lee
ture. She was waving at her mother.
who had appeared in her front window
across the street.
Mothers waving a yellow back" ex-
claimed Mary, radiantly. Likely Dads
given it to her for Christmas-isn't he
good?"
| 1t may have been a reproach, and 1t
may not-I don't know and I don't care.
I'm getting a hardened soul. It's rot
merely so sensitive as it was a few
| months ago.
| Copyright. 1914. Newspaper Feature Service)