The Washington herald., 1917-01-02

k0'
Thfs series L. q oontinuatfon Of
sTheir Married Life,' produced ~
Mshei Herbert Urner fer fsur years.
The Married Life Of Helen ana War
ren.s sppsaring exclusively In this pa
per, is the only Beries now being writ
ten ~ Mabel Herbert Urnsr.
Three monster turkeys. q tray of lamb
chops with paper curis, a brace Of par
tridges, and a scored-back sucking pig
with q necklace Of sausage links. graced
the hoIly-trimmed window Of Boyd's meat
market
Inside, against the white-tiled walls,
hung a row of lamb carcases festooned
with chains Of evergreen. The marbls
slabs and giass-fronted refriserators
were crowded with the usual Saturday
morning supply Of choice and expensive
cuts
without a shuddsr1ng thought of all the
helpless animals 20 ruthlessly slaughter-
ed shrtnlingly she turned her back on
some rabbits ranging head-downward.
their gray fur. limp paws, and pathetic.
blood-stained heads reminding her dis
tressinsly of Pussy Purr-mew.
Forcing back her futile, unavaflins pity.
she glanced about. trying to decide on
her order. Nearing the end of the
month. her household. allowance was
alarmingly low. For the next few days
she must buy with the strtctest economy.
She had prided herself on tho fact that
in spite of the alarming rise in all food.
she had 50 far kept the grocer and meat
bill within q very small advance of the
same months last year.
mo guinea-hens this morning" Mr..
Boyd himself. freshly whits-ooated.
was at the telephone. We've some nne
order "sweetbreads for lunoh-
eon-and a porter-house steak out thick.
Now Is that all. Mrs. Ward3 .. g..
Yes, I'll send then right over
Helen, waiting to be served. wondered
at this careless extravagance of ordering
lsvishly over the phone without an in
quiry as to weight or price.
Good morning, Mrs, Curtis" said Mr..
Boyd, closing the order book and with
bland suavity turning to Helen What
can DO for you this morningT'
How much are lamb-ohopsT'
''Loin thirty-four-rfb thirty-six."
And pork-ohopsr'
'"Twenty-four," with the fatntest note
of condescension-
six. cut very thin. please. Not moro
than a pound and a quarter"
Disappearing into the electric-lighted
refrigerator, Mr.. Boyd returned with q
loin OF pork. With deft, surgical pre-
cislon he cut six clefts In the pinkish
flesh, then chopped through the bone and
tossed them on the scale. The needle
few to a pound and three-quarters.
"Forty-two cents" as he lifted them
OF. with no apology for the heavier
weight. Now what elssf" Some fine
Canada saddle this morning"
Helen ignored this suggestion. Mr..
Boyd's habit OF always cutting q guar
ter to a half pound more than she asked
for was most annoying. She had said
definitely to cut them thin-about q
pound and a Quarter-and he could cut
to an ounce when he wished He de-
nberately chose this method OF increas-
ing her bill and his profit
What are your fowlsT deciding
against a complaint on a busy Saturday
morning.
''Thirty-eight and thirty. One about nve
poundsr'
mo. thank you. 1 believe the chops
viii be all" rebelling at the exoroitant
price and his air OF taking her order for
granted.
Knowing that six pork chops was a
! conspicuously small and impscunious
Saturday order. and conscious OF Mr..
Boyd's imperceptibly waning susvity, 1t
was with a heishtening color that Helen
hurried out.
Why must she always trade thersr It
was the highest priced and most inde-
pendent shop IN the neighborhood. Twen-
ty-eight cents for fowl! Even on this
wave of high prices that was excessive.
Boyd's catered to an expensive and ex-
elusive patronage. There must be shops,
dependent upon a less affluent trade. that
ha ndled good meat.
She remembered a small butchers next
to little Italian grocery, several blocks
down a side street, where she OCCASION
ally bought spaghetti and ParmesAn
cheese. 1t would be worth investigat ting
Holding her mum against her cold-red-
deped face she hurried on.
Small. dingy shops and a swarm Of
children proclaimed tho cheapenins
neighborhood. Before the butchers win
dow she hesitated. unfavorably impressed
by the array OF disoolored signs
Roasting Lamb, 1sc;" Navel Corned
Beef. 12o;" Prime Roast Beef. 9oc;"
"sausages, &c.," Chicken, 16c-2Oc," they
read.
The shop was narrow. low-ceilinged. and
dinly lit by the one siGn-cluttered win
dow. man with q blood-stained apron
was serving a shawl-headed customer
With interest Helen watched her order
a pound and half Of liver and 10 cents
worth of soup meat
A greasy chopping block and the soiled,
clotted sawdust on the floor, contrasted
unpleasantly with the white spotlessness
of Boyd's. Very little fresh meat was
displayed; instead were rows of smoke