Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-14
Their Married
4 y Life Il 4
Their New Years Eve Celebration Turns Out to
Be Expensive

q
have a good bottle of beer than that
stuff"
Look" whispered Mrs Stevens, as
| woman in a heavily beaded evening
gown swept by. IT saw that very
gown at Ardman'e last week--s3Bew
We're about the only people here
not dressed" complained Helen.
oh, they don't care what you wear
long as you spend your money"
AS 1t drew near IL the tables began
hlling up. but 1t was not the hilarious
| crowd of last New Years. Every one
had the champagne served with the
dinner. but few ordered more. Hard
times" were apparent
Helen was wondering If Warren
would have to pay the bill While
Mr., Stevens was always willing to do
mis- part. somehow 1t was always War
rem who paid Because they went in
the stevens's car. Warren always fell:
under obligations to pay moro than
ms share of their outings
But tonight. as neither she nor
warren had wanted to go out. Helen
enousht this should be the Stevens
| party.
The thought that she was not
| dressed ranked. too. II she had
| \
would have worn her Paris gown and
| her lsvalliere. But to spend all tbi,
money and feel uncomfortable and in
appropriately dressed! 1t seemed such
| waste.
With the first stroke of u CANA
the customary turning off of the lights
and burst Of hilarity. After this the
| merrimsnt soon died out. in marked
contrast to last year, when It had
Kept UP until almost dawn
wen, this seems pretty dead" OBJ
served Warren. Ready to gor
Here. that's NINE" protested Mr..
Stevens. when the waiter brought the
check
AN ARGUMENT.
Nothing of the kind" as Warren
look possession of 1t.
now look here, Curtis, we brought
you out This is my supper"
But already Warren was taking
some bills from his wallet.
inen let's match for it." Mr.. Ste
Vehs drew out a quarter.
All right laughed Warren
| Tails"
vehs hlpped the coin. Helen
, r forward tensely. 1t was
warren would have to pay!
9onhenow 1t always came ont that
| way. o'
She could aot see the check hut
flt must be at least twentv-N the
supPers alone were twenty, beside.
and the tip. eoi
me orlVe home through the now
20 streets was as depressing as
the oriVe home always is after an
evening OF stimulated sayety.
Helen kept thinking of the twenty
nVe dollars and of how little thew had
Tor 1t. She could have bought a Per-
sian rug for the hall for twenty-five
dollarsi
And all the table linen that would
have bought. She was planning to
get some during the January white
goods sales. And the candelabra she
wanted for the dining room. What
they had spent on this supper would
nave bought a wonderful candelabra,
When the Stevenses dropped them
| AT their door their Good nightw and
their final Happy new year" were
most perfunctory.
We'll, our quiet evening at home
turned out to be a rather expensive
one was Helen's untactful comment
as she switched on the lights in their
darkened hall.
Now, what do YOU mean by THAR"
savagely. knitting az my paying
thst check Well, when I go any
where-Ill keep UP my end! Under
stand? What do you want me to be,
anyway p'ker7'
| Helen, remembering that the new
year was hardly an hour old, did not
want TO begin It with discord.
! mo, dear" resting her head for a
| moment against his arm; I'm glad
| you DO your share. You know, I'm
Just as ffercely independent as you
arel Just meant that II we'd stayed
at home. we'd have saved that much
But It's horrid and mercenary Of me
! to think about 1t that way"