The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-10-17
Married Life, Third Year
BY MABEL HERBERT uRNER

ity oidnt count when he seeks a job
WIN gray nalr and no capital. Osler
mas II ABOUT fight-a man over forty
Is out OF the running"
lou didn't give me their address,"
reminded Helen.
he TOOK some papers from his pock-
CT ana tore Off pencil address.
west TWenty-second street."
read Helen from the strip. / wonder
what KIND OF place it isl"
some cheap boarding house. You'd
Deltef Call tomorrow-maybe you can
cheer her up. Ask 'em here to din-
ner, II they'll come. I intended to ask
Randall, but he was off before I got
the chance"
Helen had not seen Mrs. Randall
once since her husband had lost the
position he had held for over twenty
years with Crane & Baker. They had
not giyen up their apartment then.
and Mrs. Randall had cried that they
could not live cheaper anywhere Jnan
they were living there
Yet she had admitted hefp1essly
that the rent was $1,000 year, and
that they had always lived UP to ev-
cry cent Of his salary-saving Moth
ing. And Helen had wondered pity
ingly as she looked around the ex-
rensively furnished apartment, how
long 1t would be before Mrs. Randall
would have to realize that they could
live cheaper. Evidently that realiza-
tion had come very soon-for already
they had moved.
The next afternoon Helen passed a
dingy brown-stone house on West
Twenty-second street. 1t was only
one of the many in that block. They
had once been well-to-do homes, each
ixxr;{h iv,Ii r,,I, So 1>,,f 49,
was the stamp of the boarding house
about them ALL
She wcnc up the stone stoop to the
shabby doorway and rang the bell.
There was no response and she was
about to ling again when man ran
up the steps feeling in his pocket for
key. AS he stopped over to unlock
the door, Helen noticed his overcoat
with it's worn fur collar and his gen.
eral SeeGy air of the lower class act
or.
He held the door open as though ex-
pecjing her to enter. 1t was an awK-
ward situation, for he was plainly
one OF the roomers.
do you know if the Randalls have
rooms here?"
Don't KNOW anybody. Wait, I'll
call Susan" Leaving the door open
he went to the top of the basement
stairs and shouted, Susan! Hey SuS-
an. somebody's up herer'
Then he glanced over the letters on
the hall rack, selected one and hurrid
upstairs. A moment later a slatternly
maid came UP from the basement.
Who'd you want to see, maam ?"
staring at Helen who was still in the
open door.
Mrs Randall"
Third floor hack, briefly, as she
slammed the front door and shuf-
fled down the hack stairs.
With the door closed, the hall was
dark and the odors of stale cooking
were pronounced. Slowly Helen
climbed the three flights. There were
rubber treads over the worn stairway
carpet, and here and there the white
plaster cleaned through the SCARED
wall paper.
stairs, Helen knocked timidiy at the
door of which she thought was the
third floor hack. 1t was Mrs. Ran
dali who answered the knock, flush
ing painfully as she recognized Hell
en-. But after the embarrassment OF
the first few moments, Helen felt she
was glad to see her.
She had been sewing, and as soon
as Helen was seated she took UP her
work again.
The Work She Did
I'm making these" she said simply
holding up dainty boudoir cap, for
the Woman's Exchange. OF course.
they won't buy them, but they let
you put them there on SALE"
Then, as though glad of the chance
to talk to some one Of the hardships
Of the last few months, she told OF
giving up their apartment. There was
no way Of keeping it unless they went
into debt.
"And at least" with fierce sort OF
price, 1--WE don't owe a penny. we
may have been foolish and extrava-
giant in living up to our income. but
we never lived beyond it. And so
we chose this" with a glance around
the cheaply furnished room, rather
than so into debt now"
I'm sure you were right" muir
INJURED Helen, this is much the bet |
ter way"
s.And we were fortunate in sub |
letting the apartment furnished for
$40 a month-S40 more than our rent. |
Here we pay only So a week for this |
and tiny hall room for FRANK; we
aretrying to keep him in school
Eleanor and Betty are with their
grandmother"
Then you go out for your mealSE
asked Helen.
II get our breakfast here" nod |
ding toward a percolator and tin box
on the table. 'And we go to some /
little restaurant for dinner; we FOUND
one that's both clean and cheap.
"Oh, l think you've been very
brave This is much better than to I
keep up appearance by going INTO
debt, and when Mr.. Randall gets on
his feet again, you wont have any
thing hanging over you.