Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-11
THE DAILY NOVELETTE,
A Question of SaUings
by RUSSELL CLAYTON

moonlight" ?" Billy waved the cardboard
slips invltingly. Entities you to round
trip, free view of tho moon, dancing IN
the saloon -
"'Fraid not, old man." David shook
his head decisively. you see. Sue ana
I are saving every last cent toward ono
of those stucco houses out on weston
avenue, and we can't throw away any
lent that so, Sue?'
The girl at his side swallowed. Then,
That's It, Billy: she backed up tne
man she was going to marry 1ou anu
Elsie gong?" , .,,,
sure thing" returned Billy. We
figure we're only going to be young ONCE
you know" e,,.
That was the crux of the matter, sue
continued to think TO herself, long altel
her noon hour was over ana sne "ds is
back pouding keys in the warm otllce; " !
youth would only return after one mao
acquired the material things of lie, why
then one wouldn't mind doing hothi's
but save--and save--and save.
Yet Sue was a thrifty little person.
admirably clever at the little arts OF
makeshift and economy when are are Sas ue.
sIrable in tho wife of man VINO mas
the laudable ambition to get on IN the t
world. There ore, she had a right, deep
down in her heart, to wonder II, altel
ALL she and David were erring, on lhe
right side to be sure. but still erinis'
When she and David achieved that six
room stucco house with electric lights
and hardwood floors and open plumbing
(and expensive upkeep). would tney ge!
as much pleasure out of II as bllly anu
Elsie were getting right now IN these 5e
halcyon engagement days, with thelr
little trolley rides, evenings at the
movies: yes, and the feeding-the- -ele-
phant, eating -pink-popcorn trip to the
circus they never got tired OF teilinB
about.
Yet it was a,delicate subject on which
to approach David. self-denying David:
who had given up smoking ana sood
times with the boys to save Tor the ~,
ture. How very much worse u woulu
b II David were spendthrift? AIN
With a disagreeable little tug at her
heart. Sue heard Elsie. on the morning
Of the excursion, chatter on about tne
good time she expected to nav. Elsie
had run In to borrow. with the pre-
Sues blue cape.
"If you were going wouldn't dream
Of asking, but l know you and DAVID
think It dreadfully extravagant." Then
some odd EXPIRE ssion on Sues face struck
remorse to her friends heart. "Whs'
Sue nodded. biting her lower Up Then
loyalty she defended David. 1T isn't
his fault" she declared. "Of COURSE
he'd 20 If he thought I wanted to-"
Elsie patted Sues hand. Then she
picked up the cape and turned away;
She would not tell Sue that she had
just met David and that David had
said he might possibly see them II busi-
ness made IL necessary for him to take
the Queen City on its return trip. II
he did take the steamer-a wicked little
sparkle suddenly took possession of
Elsie's eyes. Sue had lost this moon
light, but there would be others and
we'll, she hoped David's business would
make him a passenger on the Queen CITY.
And II did. Ordinarily, David was in
door man at Warren's garage-his OF.
cupation, the intricate adjustment OF
timers and magnctos and coils and tho
diagnosis of rattles and knocks. But l,
so happened on the day of the excur-
sion that n shortage Of drivers nectssi-
lated his driving a reconstructed sup.
six to its importunatc owner, some forty
miles away. a punctured tire, conse-
luently late delivery, and train "a
line combined to send David, whose re-
turn fare was paid by his employers,
home by boat.
IL was on the sheltered afterdeck, m
David sat in solitude watching the shim-
mering moonpath. and thinking how
wonderful 1t would be to be rich and
10 able to take Sue on such jaunts. that
he heard the whisper of voices behinu
him.
"Yes-its mice to have money. but
oh, Billy, I'd thousand times rather
have a smaller bank account and great
big store of memores-and so would
any girl. Everybody Is saying, Poor
Sue !"
The speakers drifted away, while Da-
vid sat as one stunned, subCOnsCiouSly
familiar whisper. Then he rose quiv,ls
and followed In the dire cction they had
taken There they were. Wait \
streaming stateroom light illumlned
thomr-Billy Webster and--and, well,
David had walked happily beside Sues
blue cap too many times not to know
II when he saw It. So Sue had been the
she had been telling nnu
her troubles-was there with him in the
David's world had suddenly
gone too much askew for him to wondc.
about Elsie
SO he had lost Sue-.-just because he
wanted 10 buy her the home she would
adorn. 1t wasn't fair--it wasn't air
1t wasn't fair--the throbing engines beat
the refrain the rest of the journey up
jostling crowd at the gangplank, David
caught "a glimpse of thc face Of the girl
with Billy beneath the hood Of Sues
cape. And 1t wasn't Sue!
Sue" said David, the following eve
ming 10 the girl at his side, whose hand
he held, young people can't always eX-
pect 10 start in whore their parents lef,
off There's such a thing as being to-
ambitious. You don't suppose--hard-
wood floors are nice, and electric lights,
but there are places"
"a bit farther out" Chimed in Sue,
eagerly, where taXCS aren't so high
and the neighbors aren't so hard to live
up to, and after we're married We won't
have to strain our income and"
And the Baptist moonlight comes
next week. What you say we go? We
must begin to save some memories as
well as money, Sue"
"Oh, Dave, you darling" Sues tone
was youthfully joyous.
And Elsie never, never told.
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