Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-08-17
MY HUSBAND AND |
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UNwELcoME ADVICE
CHAPTER cxxv.

Z
New Years. We tried to put little
of the holiday spirit into our days
but without much success. We pack
ed mothers remembranees off to Tom
and the children, also some things
| Peggy Lad for them.
When I told mother about Junior
wandering off in the park, how we
found him, and that he didn't want
to go home, but preferred to remain
in the station house with the officers,
she laughed and cried at the same
| time.
"You will have to be very careful
of him, Sue," she said, che is such a
pretty boy. and so bright. Then you
dress him so well some tramp might
think he belonged to wealthy people
and coax him away for the reward.'
"I know, and he go with anyone.
He hasn't particle of fear in his
whole makeup. But Norah was so
frightened that don't think she will
send him cut unless he looks all right.
The other children in our apartment
house are always beautifully dressed. +"
"The children would be just as hap
py if you did not spend so much on
them, Sue. They grow so fast too
that it is foolish extravaganza to buy
them many clothes Just simple
things and enough to keep clean is
all they need" s3k
Not of the Same Mind.
I made no reply, but thought how
old-fashioned mother was. There was
no use discussing such things with
her because she absolutely couldn t
see my point of view. She had asked
particularly about our new apart
ment. 1 had told her we paid the
same as we did in the old one, but
that since October we had been paying
twenty-five dollars more. She would
have been Mortified.
You see mother never had paid
rent, father owned the little house in
which / was born and where they still
lived. And fifteen or twenty dollars
was considered big rent in Freeport.
One could get very comparable
house for even less.
1 avoided the subject of our living
expenses as much as possible, yet
L
She asked me point blank if we had
saved anything since we had been
married, and / had to tell her no.
She considered Tom 3 salary as extra
VACANT ore, and thought we should
save at least seventy-five dollars every
month and still i've comfortably. II
pointed cut to her that this was inn
possible il New York but she was not
convinced
~ am afraid the time will come
when Tom will realize that you should
have helped him save, instead of
spending all he earns" she said dur
ing one of our talks.
"Oh, Tom thinks I'm pretty near
right" I answered lightly.
/ left for New York on the third
of January. A clear cold day. Father
was quite a bit improved, as well as
he ever would be, the doctor told u.s.
and 1 was anxious to get back to Tom
and the children. Also to take part
in the gayety going on. Both Tom
and the children had been well, he
wrote me, and he had gone to several
affairs while / had been away
81 have been quite the giddy old
baehelorl' he had said in one of his
letters, "although 1 have refused sew
eral invitations. :"
A Satisfying welcome.
Tom and the children, even Norah,
seemed SO glad to see me, made such
a fuss over me, that laughingly told
Tom:
81 shall go away often just for the
sake of the welcome l get on my re-
turn. It's nice to be missed -
Several of the tradesmen's bills
were opened on the desk. | was look
ing them over when Tom came and
leaning over my shoulder said:
ffWas it necessary to let them get
so large, SueP 1 see some of them
haven't been paid for two months.
Then, so kindly l felt ashamed he ad-
ded: elf you have been using some of
the house money for your mother l
shan't find fault, but 1 rather you
would ask me for what she needs. I'll
is no more than fair that we should
help her now that your father is ILL.,. "
l neither denied nor admitted what
he had said. I let him think had
been sending mother money tho I
had never even thought of doing such
a thing. But it was an easy way to
compel him to pay some of the bills
he had already given me money tOl
pay. that I had used for something
else. I knew too, that he felt l re-
sented the monthly allowance he gave
his mother. and that he would be very
lenient if he thought l had sent my
people aaything.
When he gave me my allowance
he added twenty-five dollars.
'sPay those bills right up, and try
to live very economically this month
We will have no cash after you pay
them TO do anything with, and will
have to let the bills all run until the
first again. But n you pay them all
up, then are careful we viii get along.
If you need anything for your father
or mother let me know
Again l flushed with shame; but
again l ssid nothing TO disabuse his
mind of the idea that 1 was helping
mother.
TomOrrsw-Tom s Position Is Assured.
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