The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-20
The Woman
He Married
BY JANE PHELPS
NAN HAS A WINDFALL,
CHAPTER 4e.

well, Nan, have taken flyer!
A mighty small .one, but If 1t turns
out right it will help little"
"a flyer?" I asked, not compre-
hending.
Eyes. I bought little cotton"
"Oh, goody!"
Don't goody until sell it. I may
lose"
"Oh. no, you WON'T"
81 hope not. And Nan, took the
house money to use as margin. I
couldn't bring myself to borrow, and
SO the tradesmen can't be paid cash
this month. We've been pretty good
customers so they won't kick at Civ
ing US a little credit Then, 1T did
it for you, Nan. want you to be
happier than you have seemed lately,
and as it appears to be the lack of
money that worries you, I've made up
my mind to take a chance"
What you should haye done long
ago" I said snappily. I knew the
credit without kicking, as Dick ex-
pressed it; that they would make
things very unpleasant for me unless
I paid them something substantial on
account. Then I had promised Clara
to return the money she loaned me.
Anxiously 1 asked:
when will you sell? And may I
have your first profit"
IF it goes my way I shall not wait
for a big profit. And, if 1 give it to
you how am ever going to try again :?
I thought that if I made anything
would try and use only profits and so
not have to ask for credit because of
using my salary"
But if you only make little?"
Great oaks from little acorns
no real enthusiasm. and it made me
afraid that we might perhaps lose
instead of winning.
Would to God we had,
The next few days were not happy
ones. Dick studied the financial sheet
the entire evening, and 1 worried over
my debt to Clara, and the house bills
The second of the month came.
Cotton held steady that was all. The
grocer had called me ON the telephone
and almost demanded his pay. I cried
a little as I worked about the house
not because of the debts, or because
felt at all guilty; my sense of right
and wrong was blunted-but I wept
because 1 was without money to satisfy
those owed.
annoyance. With the tradesmen, at
least, it had ceased to be an embar-
rassment, and in only three short
years. When I was first married
did not believe in running in debt, and
was happy with what Dick could do
/ ,,
allowing my foolish love of clothes
and show to obstruct, yes, to obliter-
ate, my good Judgment.
Then there came miracle. At
least it seemed so to me.
ST am a lucky person!" I said over
and over as I read mothers letter. A
distant cousin of hers had died, and
had left her $4,000, and me $500. The
check was enclosed.
I laughed and cried! Then came
the thought that had I not owed so
much we might have used it to make
| more money. 1t would take the great
er part of it now to pay the grocer and
butchef and Clara. I never gave the
debt I owed Mildred Stowel a
thought. She had said I was not to
| worry. She didn't need 1t, and I was
! to take all the time I wanted to pay
her.
I rushed down to Clara with the
news. She was delighted. Yet she
acted rather cross also.
/ "You haven't told me a thing yeti"
| she complained.
| 81 will now that we have a little 10
use. Dick will have to tell me because
| it is my money I evaded,
Clara went to the bank with me and
| deposited it, and for the first time
| in my life owned check book.
'Tn pay you tomorrow. Clara. I
don't want Dick to know I borrowed
of you. He thinks I still owe the
dressmaker." I didn't say he thought
I owed SIS.
| Attic was entangled in a perfect
maze of deceit and debt, I sang glee-
| fully all the afternoon and could hard
| ly wait for Dick to come home to
show him mothers letter and my bank
book.
(Tomorrow-Nan disregards Dick IS
| advice.)