Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-05-14


muter The first 10 q bunga-
low in the Brides Park addi-
tion Of one Of those towns in Micbi-
gan, or Indiana, or Illinois, where the
bank clearings double every three or
four years The second IL an apart
ment in one OF those tall buildings
between Broadway and Riverside
drive, with a marble entrance hall
and a colored boy who attends the
telephone switchboard and runs the,
elevator when he is not busy getting
q tip. The third Is an entirely Colo
NAL house twenty-one minutes from
the Grand Central terminal.
The Ridges were In the middle OF
the second stage when the thing hap,
pened.
Wilbur Rudge had come to New
York to be assistant advertising man,
ager of Whitworth & Co.. mshufao-
turers of varnish. He had remained
the assistant advertising manager of
whitworth & Co. for three years, with
q raise SO handsome on the first OF.
each new year that; he was able to
live just about as we'll after he got It
as before he got 1t. $685.
Wilbur Rudge was not one Of those
unhappy men who pay last months
bills with next months salary. Will.
bur was what. in those dark ages be-
fore the war, was called eficient. He
managed his income; he managed 1t
- we'll that he had a balance in the
bank. But there was something hu-
man about him, too. so that he was
not able to live according to an ap-
proved family budget. After six years
of marriage his total assets were
S1.1sa in bank and q $4,000 job.
To an apostle Of saving, S1,183 in
bank sounds pretty bad. To ordinary
weak human beings its sounds pretty
GOOD To q referee in bankruptcy 1t
would sound like an asset-precisely
$i,1s3 worth Of asset. The fact Is
that $1,1s3 was liability. II was the
result of Wilbur Ridges desire for
an automobile, preferably with six
cylinders, and Of Anita Ridges de-
sire for an entirely colonial house,
preferably with a wide hall running
straight through the middle. with q
large living room on one side and the
dining room on the other. and real
mahogany furniture and q buffers
pantry and all.
AS for the $4,000. job-well. you
know that's all a matter of environ
ment. The pastor Of struggling
church in southern Tennessee might
imagine IL was wealth. A head
waiter would regard it as criminal
poverty. The Ridges thought it was
a minimum wage.
On the morning of January 81 Will
" bur Rudge spent the half hour Of
his subway journey from 1S7th street
to Wall and William streets in read
ing his paper. But he did not spend
the half hour between, Wall and
William streets and 18th street In
reading the evening paper. The
evening paper remained folded in his
overccat pocket. Wilbur stared.
stared at a vision that had been con-
iured up in his mind by remark of
De Forest, the advertising manager
of whitworth & Co., his immediate
superior The remark was, well,
Ridge, I am going into business for
myself I've just turned in my resig-
nation" 49, -. IS =
Before Wilbur had time to ask one
question, De Forest disappeared in
answer to summons from the presi-
dents office. 1t was time to go home.
Wilbur delayed his departure from
the office for fifteen minutes. in the
hope that De Forest would come back.
De Forest didn't come back. Wilbur
put on his hat and coat and waited
another FIVE minutes. Still, De
Forest didn't come back. Wilbur was
already late for dinner. De Forest
might talk to the president for an
hour. Wilbur started home without
knowing whether Whitworth & Co.
would take it for granted that he
could fill De Forests place or that he
could not De Forests salary was
$1,000 year.
Wilbur perfectly well knew that II
he did get De Forests job he would
not get De Forests salary all at once.
But there was no reason why. he
shouldn't get $4,000, or $500. or even
$1,000. Seven thousand would be
3 $4,000 more than he was getting. Or.
to put it another way. 1t would be
sos and some odd cents a month
more than he was getting.
Wilbur. hanging to a strap in the
subway, was so pressed by other strap
hangers that he could neither lower
the hand that held the strap nor raise
the other hand sufficiently to get
pencil out Of his pocket. But he knew
that an increase of $4,000 a year would
be enough to justify the car he
wanted. 1t would even justify. the
house Anita wanted. In time it would
even furnish the house. Anita wanted.
Anita would be more excited by the
prospect than he was. He decided
that he must not give Anita so much
as hint until Whitworfh & Co. def
nitely gave him De Forests job--if
they ever did. 1t would be hard to
wait. But 1t was mans part to on
dure.
Wilbur stopped In Broadway and
bought half a dozen carnations for
Anita. He felt the need of some ad-
vice for concealing his emotions.
He held the flowers in front of him
as he entered their apartment.
oh" Anita said. How nice"
So
CHE kissed him. as she always did
~ when he came home from the offica
She separated the carnations from
their wrappinss Of tissue paper,
buried her nose in them. kissed him