The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1918-03-27
Caroline
Thinks It Out
By Mona Cowles
Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)


ITO 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 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 very definite air five years ago
on the memorable afternoon when
Horace Blair had proposed to her. II
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
In 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 ut the graceful finger
that Caroline had just permitted him
to measure for the engagement ring.
"You are u very sensible girl, Car
oline," he said, land suppose you are
right"
'"Of course, I'm right" she agreed.
AT twenty might have been foolish
and romantic. Then 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 could
sell that would come to no more than
forty-five hundred" She sighed and
shook her head.
"Im sorry, Horace, but 1t can't be
done. I've seen other girls try to do it
nnd---well, perhaps they are happy
hut we couldn't live the way we do.
You wouldn't want to try. 1t would
mean living In suburb somewhere
with an incompetent maid and wear
ing ready-made clothes-yes, know
have to now. but I won't always be
young. At thirty would look mess
in ready-made sult-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
me?"
mot in the least. I simply mean
that can't marry you till our income
is doubled at leastl r.
Horace took out an envelope and
pencil from his pocket and began to
figure.
Mine thousand-that means that I
must have about seventy-fve hundred"
I'm relent little," smiled Caroline.
;"I'll marry you when you are making
six thousand. You can work up to
that"
1T may take Ave years." sighed the
unhappy sutton.
"What If it does? We love each
other, and we can 60 on quite nicely
this way. You know marriage isn't
something to be entered into emotion
ally"
"You are very sensible girl" said
Horace accepting his sentence grimly.
II think see your point Of view."
And so 1t 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 ut all.
And day or SO ago Caroline wal
still making her own toast and draw
ing an occasional picture that sold
quite content on her small income ant
Horace was working on patiently witt
the concern with which he had begul
ten years ago, grimly waiting for an
other chance ahead that would brin
him the coveted six-thousand dOlla
income. It did. not seem then tina
there WOuIu Ue iOuB " wait, AVA q
ready he had reached the fifty-five hur
dred mark and he had saved enoug
to make possible the prospects
starting in life with rather more PR
tentious abode than the suburban CO.
tage that Caroline had held In sue
contempt.
Caroline worked at her drawn
board as patiently and eagerly as eve
and her ability as an illustrator ha
not become impaired but owing to wa
conditions, as the editors told her, thei
was less demand for her particuli
; kind of talent than in years gone b.
When she did get an order 1t meaI
smaller check than formerly. 81
did not finch at the economies tn
necessitated. Single poverty was or
thing, she insisted, and married pc
erty another.
Then a day or so ago Horace can
TO spend his usual Sunday afternot
with her but instead of hurrying up II
two flights of stairs to her apartme