Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-10
CHAPTER I

i God gives us our relatives. but thank
God we can choose our own friends.
The question is do we choose our own
friends, or are some Of them born, some
made, and some thrust upon us? Dur
ing our younger days we rather accept
friends than choose them; but friends
become q real problem when two young
people from different families, and with
different ideas. foist friends upon each
other, because that is the ultimate result
Of married life.
1t Is needless to say. that no matter
what reasons two young people have for
marrying friends, unless the two are
careful and much more sensible than
most young people generally are, are
bound to come between couple in many
respects In the case of Ruth and
Scott Raymond, this was doubly true
for excepting in rare instances neither
liked the same kind Of people.
The first real argument that they had
about friends took place one evening
when Scott came home from business
more than ordinarily worn out and cross.
Ruth met him at the door with a hurried
rejoinder that his dinner was waiting
and would he hurry so that she could
clear things away and get ready for
the evening.
Ruth looked at him reproachfully.
Dear, you don't mean to say that you
really don't know?"
He shook his head.
why we're going to have Isabel Car
ter and her husband here for the eve
ming"
"Well why do have hurry through
my dinner and why all this unusual fuss
about everything?"
"Why, because they're so important.
They live on West End avenue, you
know, in the most expensive apartment
house anywhere there. Isabel has the
loveliest things of any one know; l
consider It an honor that they should
care to come here at all"
Scott opened his eyes wide. but Ruth
did not see. She went on excitedly:
i"Everything is In order SO you'll try
to be careful dressing. won't you? Don't
fling things around any more than you
have to. have the incest things ready
to eat and I do so want everything 20
go off we'll"
There was no withstanding Ruth when
she spoke that way, and Scott obediently
promised to be careful, SO he ate hur-
ried dinner and. tired as lie was, began
to dress Immediately afterward
"If we could ever get in with them.
it would be perfectly wonderful" vouch-
safed Ruth as she came in from the
kitchen and slipped into negligee pre-
paratory to fixing her hair.
Get in with them, what do you
mean?"
Just what I say 1t would mean
everything for you in business to be
associated in a friendly way with Bill
Carter"
Scott flushed sensitively. He hated
things of that kind, he loathed playing
politics with ones friends, and Ruth was
continually doing things she thought she
ought to do and too frequently doing the
things she really wanted to do. 1t
made him furious with her. After their
experience with general intolerance. both
of them had made real effort to try
to proceed on fifty-fifty basis. Ruth
had tried genuinely hard to see Scotts
viewpoint and to understand that there
might be things he would want to do
with his life that she might not think
at all Interesting. The thing to do
about 1t was for her to either sacrifice
herself to the extent of doing as he
wished, or not to find fault If he went
ahead and did 1t alone. Ruth had also
tried to curb her quick tongue and to
understand Scott's general untidiness
and laxness about the house, and Scott
had tried genuinely hard to do as Ruth
wanted in little things. The subject
of friends, however had never been
brought up between them to any extent
Friends and relatives and their adjust
ment are never given their proper i'm
portance in a domestic regime.
:. Don't you think so?" she queried
again. ..+.
| mo, I don't" Scott said bluntly.
I 20, Scott. you ought to, you want
to get along, don't your ~ l&ss
Scott loathed any reference to his get
ting along financially; 1t made him
sauirm. Like most men he considered
his business affairs peculiarly his own.
THAT sounds like your mother" he
remarked. ..-,., ~
Instantly Ruth was on the defensive