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

|
white house. with its green blinds
and it's Dutch gable and its neat
hedge OF box.
Look" said Anita, softly. The
| living room windows with their
| small square panes were patterns OF
yellow light. Anita took his arm as
they walked up the brick path to the
front door. And to think-its al
ready just as perfect inside as it is
out"
WILBUR threw open the front door
w with a glow of pride. They
paused in the hall Ito survey the
| living room through the wide arch.
There was the deep-cushioned sofa
| In front of the fireplace. the lovely
tilt-top table with its Victorian lamp
of glass, and at either end were the
girandoles rejecting the room, en-
larging it. What did cost matter?
Who could think of money at such a
time?
wilbur" said Anita, "what about
our raise? Hasn't the president said
anything"
Wilbur frowned. Wilbur cleared
his throat. Wilbur put his hands in
his pockets.
NO" he said.
Il think it's time you spoke to him
about it. He hasn't kept his promise. -
l think he wanted to try me out
before he decided just how much the
raise would be-" said Wilbur. at
isn't good psychology for me to
speak first, at least not just now"
But what If he doesn't speak at
all? We can't go on like this much
longer"
"why can't we go on like this?"
Were spending money Just as IL
our income had been increased. and
it hasn't"
1T will be-" said Wilbur. you
know our annual salesmen's conven-
ton is coming on next week. It will
give me my best chance to show
| what I can do. When 1 get back I
will speak to the president
II would" said Anita slowly.
THAT means" Anita continued. that
you'll be away from home a whole
| week, doesn't it?'
"Ten days." said Wilbur. II am
to go on ahead to Cleveland and get
some charts ready. for the opening
day"
Il wish you didn't have to leave
now" said Anita
so do l." Wilbur said, but it
wasn't true. Wilbur wanted to get
| away for ten days. Wilbur wanted
| a respite.
He put in so busy a ten days in
Cleveland that he hardly thought
about the Smithson car or his finan-
cia predicament, or the raise he
might have to ask for. But he could
| no longer put these things out Of his
| mind when, at ten minutes after 8
on May 3, he reached his desk in
| Broad street. The Offices Of Whit
| worth and Company were nearly
empty. Wilbur felt very much alone
! as he contemplated the stack of mail
on his desk. So much of 1t contained
bills.
Wilbur opened them automatically.
smoothing out the folds and glancing
| at the totals. There was s295 for
| the. gilt-top table and $3.50 for the
deep-cushioned sofa, and $50 for the
glass lamp. And that was only one
! room. Wilbur picked up a pencil
| and memorandum pad and began
| to jot down items. The total came
! to more than $1,000 And. Of course.
| these were only the new accounts.
| When he got home he would find the
usual bill from the department store
| multiplied by the addition Of cur
| tains and rugs and kitchen utensils
| and garden tools. and what not. Per-
haps $500 or $500. The second pay
ment of $500 on the car was over
! due. When that was paid he would
| still have to pay 800 a month for
| five months. to say nothing of up
keep. He had $t1sa. minus $500. in
| salary check-but what would his
| monthly salary check be? The usual
| monthly bills for food and rent and
| service would have to come out of
| 1t. Would there be anything left
Wilbur guessed that, counting the
car, he was perhaps $4,000 behind
not counting the $500 that he must
| pay Immediately on the car, he was
$500 behind
Wilbur wondered il a clerk was still
! lingering in the treasurer's office. He
could not bear to go home without
knowing the amount Of his salary
| check for April. Wilbur tried the
! interofice telephone. but it was no
| use. The treasurer's Office did not
answer. He would have to wait until
! morning to know.
INTEARILY Wilbur picked up his
bag. He must catch the first
| train to scarborough. He must have
| a serious talk with Anita. He must
make her see the predicamentf they
were in. Perhaps he could borrow
some money. and in a year. by. living
very economically. they would get
even again. II they sacrificed the
car, they wouldn't be in SO bad. They
could pull out somehow. Only. how
could Anita live economically
Women had no idea Of the value of
money. no proper fear of debts. no
business sense. Anita had no real
conception of their income. She had
wants. An income was something
that supplied them. Wilbur bought
some pale yellow roses for Anita at