, 1921-09-08


nineteen hundred and twenty, that a
land. Caused by a word Of three let
ters-though a certain often quoted
general of Civil war fame pre-
ferred to spell 1t with four-its con-
sequences could not be enumerated
were all the letters of the alphabet
utilized In every possible combination.
But to quote just two.
John Smith, who, with the help of
IA friendly pull. had climbed into n
snug little $40 berth in that fairy
land called FINLAND soon after his dis
charge from the service, found him
self gently but lone the less firmly
kicked out with the cushion of an
extra weeks pay to ease the Jolt. De-
Gliding that sixty a week might have to
do while the depression lasted, John
ended by accepting forty-and being
mighty glad to get IT..
Mary Brown was the other victim
in whom we are interested. Mary
found herself unceremoniously showed
of the S35 rung Of the salary ladder
and with difficulty caught on to the
. e numbered %. But Mary was q
sunny-souled person with a liking for
budgets. She set aside little sums for
this and for that and kept track Of
them after her own fashion.
So 1t did not AXE weeks of trying
on Mary's part to make sos do the
work of S35-in vain. She moved at
once to a cheaper neighborhood and a
cheaper room. Mary could no more
resist making a home of any place
where she happened to hang her hat
than a bird car Withstand building a
nest in the spring. So it was a Eight
housekeeping room. Of course, and 1t
cost Mary a sun which her budget
instinct told her was out OF all pro-
portion TO her income, but If one must
have a home In these days of prof
iteering pirates, why one must pay the
price.
John Smith, on the other hand, came
down by stages. Being by inclination
"a stranger to personal accounts and
by nature an optimist, he gave up his
two rooms at SIS a month for one at
$50 and considered his reorganization
on a smaller capital completed. OF
course. John had it to do over again;
and finding himself one Thursday with
a 5O-cent piece to last till Saturday
convinced him of that. So 1t hap
pened that he took the ~sir-dollar nom
housekeeping room next to Mary's
some three weeks after she had moved
in.
They had been "A busy three weeks
for Mary. For after business hours
she had arranged and r%earranged her
few lares and penates, made over her
curtains to fit the windows and de-
signed and carried out various camou-
fiages which transformed her own
room into four with imaginary chalk
marks In lieu OF walls.
Mary arose promptly every morning
at six. prepared herself IA dainty
breakfast, a neatly wr%apped-in-the-
wallpaper lunch for the midday re-
past and set her home in order for the
day. At night she hastened back car
rying bags Of various sizes. From
their contents II ~concocted meals
which no h~undred-a-week chef could
improve upon were he given the same
materials to work with. II Mary
sometimes wished that she might ex-
pertinent with twice the quantity of
foodstufrs and, perhaps, receive Il com
pliment. verbal or otherwise. upon her
culinary skill from someone who
might just naturally belong on tho
opposite side Of the little table-well,
II would only gO tn show that she was
the very human. normal sort of girl
she looked TO be.
As for John Smith. he ate in restau-
rants. Twenty per week. John had de-
cided. would cover meals, but II didn't.
And. at that, he was indlfferently well
fed. There was "A door between Mary's
Don and Johns, n typical. between
occupied-roOms roomlng house door.
locked 81 both sides and all the crew
Ices stuffed with denim or something.
Whatever II WAS, II did not keep out
delicious odors Of boiling coffee and
broillng chops. To John these aroma
seemed II sort ot intangible, and In the
end disappointing. cocktail, creating
Al appetite which restaurant meals
could not satisfy.
Of course John and MARY mel oc-
~"asionally ~ they passed in and oui,
and. ~ course. they took II healthy
Interest IN each other, for they wcrc
young. I'D like thar girl she's The
sort good pals are made Of John
coniided To his pipe. lie allowed him
self to dream u hit before his sober
Judgment made M answer. ION forty
PER- You poor muir
Then came "a day when IL rained.
rained. rnined. John came home
rather wet. and after changing de-
cided that he would not 90 out again
In such u downpour, even " he
starved. So he snt down with a mnga-
zine, thinking. perhaps, to substitute
food for thought" for The more mate
rial variety.
by chance he opened 10 the adver-
I