The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-10-16
ROWING UPSTREAM

For some weeks following the house
warming at Arcadia Inn Edith FerroIs
cup of contentment seemed full. Her
baking and preserving hummed along
with pleasantness and profit. And
John, while never quite reconciled to
his wifes money-earning efforts, seem
| ed better to realize her need and made
| fewer protests.
| Ferrol himself was sorely pressed
| In money matters With the coming
| of war. there seemed to be general
| retrenchment People felt their first
duty was to stop waste. They cut
down expenses; lived more simply;
| cultivated little food crops where they
| had formerly planted flower gardens;
| ordered fewer Injuries for their house
| holds.
Among these luxuries, unfortunately
| for Ferrol, was books. AS salesman
| for q publishing house, commissions
! began to fall OFF. He found himself
! almost entirely dependent upon his
salary. He was indeed 80 occupied
with his financial problems that he
spent no time upon Ediths
Scarcely a week passed that Edith's
earnings at the inn were not cut into
for household expenses. Try as she
would by the study of food values, by
careful elimination of waste in her
own kitchen and by making her chill
dren's clothes and many of her own,
she could not bring her expenditures
within the $40 week her husband
allowed as her salary" However, it
was better fun to earn the rest than
to extract 1t by tears or cajolements
from her Woodworking mate. Edith
Ferrol was happier than she had been
In all the ten years of her marriage.
Then one day entering the inn kit
chen to start her mornings work, she
found the proprietor, Cleary, with
ruffled hair and worried eyes, poking
about in cupboards and pantries, not
ing down figures and arguing with the
chefs
Its driven near crazy I am, Mrs.
Ferrol," said Cleary. Butter is cost
ing me 48 cents a pound wholesale.
Potatoes is S8.75 for $50 pounds and
that's a drop since last week! I'm
paying 4S cents a dozen for eggs and
I'm lucky not to need many, having
my own hens. Sugar is costing near
twice as much as last year. Coffee IS
SO cents a pound-the kind l use-and
the dealers tell me it's going UP on
account of the price of the tin cans
it comes in. Flour is something ter
rible, Mrs. Ferrol, and l dassent kill
any more of me pullets to make the
chicken pies we've been so successful
in selling. Well have to cut out the
fancy cakes. too, unless things pick
up. People amt buying like they did
before all this terrible war business
come up. For two weeks we amt
made profit enough to pay the third
chef. I've had to let him go. II hate
to tell you this, Mrs. Ferrol, for you
and ! have got along together some
thing grand. And we've both made a
bit of change. But there's nothir.;
doing now in profits"
Edith knew Cleary was trying to
break to her gently the news that their
partnership must end She knew he
was telling the truth as to prices.
She had access to his books, and it
she chose could verify every detail
as to income, outgo and mutual pro-
fit. She appreciated Cleary's position
and with leaden heart and drooped
spirits she appreciated her own. With
a grim smile she told herself things
had been too good to last" Aloud