Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1918-03-08
Caroline
Thinks It Out
GA0
By Mona COwles

Copyright, 1913, BY the Mcclure NeWspa-
per Syndicate.)

10 get up IN the morning and make
your own coffee and boil your own
egg and make toast for yourself is all
very well and good for a girl when
she is single, but to have to do that
sort Of thing is quite different when
one is married" Caroline had said
with a very definite air five years ago
on the memorable afternoon when
Horace Blair had proposed to her. Il
don't in the least mind living here in
this two-room apartment now and
suppose you are quite comfortable in
the boarding house, but to have to live
Ia three or four rooms or to have to
go to boarding after we are married
would be really quite impossible"
Horace fondled the hand he held and
looked dejectedly at the graceful finger
that Caroline had just permitted him
to measure for the engagement ring.
"You are a very sensible girl, Car
Oline," he said, "and / suppose you are
right"
"Of course, I'm right" she agreed.
AT twenty ! might have been foolish
and romantic Then I might have sup
posed that / could be happy and make
you happy on my thousand-dollar-a-
year income and your salary of three
thousand"
"Twenty-eight hundred" Horace
corrected with sigh.
with an occasional picture l could
sell that would come to no more than
forty-flve hundred" She sighed and
shook her head.
"Pm sorry Horace, but 1t can't be
done. I've seen other girls try to do it
and-well, perhaps they are happy
but we couldn't live the way we do.
You wouldn't want to try. 1t would
mean living in a suburb somewhere
with an incompetent maid and wear
ing ready-made clothes-yes, l know
| have to now, but / won't always be
young. At thirty / would look a mess
IN a ready-made suit-and we would
have to keep eternally counting the
money, and if we went to the theater
we'd have to sit in the gallery"
"We've had rather good fun that
way, haven't weT Horace murmured.
Eyes, Horace dear, but doing it now
is one thing and doing it then is quite
another matter. You'll thank me some
time for the stand am taking"
'Then-yOu mean you won't marry
meY"
"Not in the least. / simply mean
that i can't marry you till our income
is doubled at leastl"
Horace took out an envelope and
pencil from his pocket and began to
figure.
mine thonsand-that means that I
ndst have about seventy-five hundred"
"I1l relent a lIttle,'' smiled Caroline.
'I'll marry you when you are making
six thousand. You can work up to
that"
ut may take five years." sighed the
unhappy sutton.
"What If it does? We love each
other, and we can go on quite nicely
this way. You know marriage isn't
to be entered into emotion
ally"
you are very sensible girl" said
Horace accepting his sentence grimly.
Il think / see your point Of view."
And so it was settled and Horace
and Caroline began their long engage
ment. There were never any quarrels
Caroline was too sensible for that
and never once did she weaken from
her wise decision that to make toast |
for yourself was one thing, but to have |
to do it for two was another. Even
In his most impatient moods Horace
had to admire the lofty ideal that
Caroline maintained toward marriage. |
It was something that had to be under
taken on dignlfied, rather grand scale
or not at all.
And a day or so ago Caroline was
still making her own toast and draw
ing an occasional picture that sold,
quite content on her small income and
Horace was working on patiently with
he concern with which he had begun
ZEN years ago, grimly waiting for an
other chance ahead that would bring
him the coveted six-thousand dollar
income. 1t did not seem then that
here would be long to wait, for al
'eady he had reached the flfty-f1ve hun
lred mark and he bad saved enough
o make possible the prospects of
starting in life with a rather more pre-
entious abode than the suburban cot
age that Caroline had held in such
'ontempt.
Caroline worked at her drawing
,oad as patiently and eagerly as ever
md her ability as an illustrator had
lot become impaired but owing to war
Onditions, as the editors told her, there
vas less demand for her particular
ind of talent than in years gone by.
When she did get an order it meant
smaller check than formerly. She
lid not finch at the economies this
Single poverty was one
hing, she insisted, and married pow
rty another.
Then day or so ago Horace came
. spend his usual Sunday afternoon
nth her but instead Of hurrying up the
wa. flights of stairs to her apartment