The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-28
The Woman
He Married
EVEN MIR. sTowELL COMPLAINS
BY JANE PHELPS

CHAPTER &c.
The nonchalant manner in which
Mrs StoweIl disposed of the question
of bills, added to the way she laid the
small to discuss-diminished the graft
tude felt, and also the guilty feeling
1 had toward Dick. She had taken it
so as a matter of course, had made so
little of it in every way that it couldn't
fail to have its effect on my mind, all
ready weakened by giving way to in
diligence in things 1 could not afford.
living is so expensive" I ventured,
feeling I must make some sort of an
apology.
isn't it. My bills are four times
what they were before the war. Mr..
Stowen says I am horribly extrava-
CANT to keep SO many servants Yet he
can perfectly afford it, and If ! let
them go goodness knows where I
would get others If I wanted them.p
"If he thinks you extravagant"-I
stammered, and she, realizing what
was about to say, Interrupted:
HE really doesn't mean it! Every
one is talking the high cost of living,
there is no other Subject of converse
ton, unless it is prohibition. But it is
robbed. Thank goodness we own our
house. Any sort of place I would live
in is filed
"Rents are awful" I added. at do
so want to move. int the elevator
apartment house where Mrs. Watson
lives, the lady you met at my lunch
eon''-I stopped awkwardly. The mo-
ment I spoke I wondered if she would
think that Clara, not I, had paid for
it. But she seemed not to notice, and
replied:
us it much more expensive than it
is here?"
"No-only So a month. If we had
taken it little while ago, we could
have had it for SIS more"
You must get it in some way. I
like you and shall want to see you
often And to be perfectly honest, it
almost kills me to climb all these
stairs.-too fat. of course, but that
doesn't make it any easier"
That's one reason I want to move
told Dick it was a crime to make you
climb all the way up here"
"And he said it would do me good
didn't hep"
1 felt my face get red as I recalled
that Dick had said exactly that. She
saw and laughed gayly:
"You don't have to answer! Now
let's get out and attend to business, so
we can have a nice long drive in the
park"
1t was a beautiful day and had il
not been for a certain embarrassment
would have been delighted at the
prospect of a. ride in her luxurious
motor car. But every time I saw a
machine approach us, or the chauf-
feur turned a short corner, shud7
dered for fear something would hap
pen before I had paid all the bills.
1t didn't take long however. as most
Of them were in the immediate neigh
borhood. AS each bill was receipted,
and the now fawning tradesmen
hoped would continue to trade with
them, felt as if a weight had been
lifted off my heart. How nice it was
to be able to feel that every time the
bell or the telephone rang I needn't
tremble for fear it was somone dun
ming me!
It was only about II o'clock when
we were all thru. I rolled the sheaf
of receipted bills together and put
them in my ybag with such a fervent
sigh of relief that Mrs. Stowell
iaukhed heartily. Then she laid her
hand on mine with caressing motion
saying:
"You shouldn't have allowed your
self to be so unhappy over such a little
thing"
Little thingl When Dick had
threatened-as I took ito advertise
me in the papers if run him in debit
How wonderful it was to have so
much money that you could call $3.50
a little thingt"
As I have said. the bills amounted
to $225.50, and when handed her the
what wAs-left after they were paid,
she insisted I keep 1t.
ct is only a trifle. Buy yourself
or the baby something with it, She
herself took my bag-and forced it
into 1T.
"Only a trifle"-almost s25, I
would buy that hat 1 had seen on the
| avenue. 1t was $50, but if they would
not reduce it, I could manage the diff
ference now that was out of debt.
en- T.a% 70 los
| ing my sense of right and wrong
especially toward my husband.
Tomorrow plan for bridge les
sons.>