The Washington times., 1923-11-22
A Delightful Narrative of Domestic
Life by a Popular Magazine
Writer.

L
her purse.
AS she was about to take her
leave, Beckie would say with en-
barrassed brusqueness."
my purse is there somewhere
on the bureau in my reom. Help
yourself. I know you're hard up
:. Don't know what's in it,
but take what you find"
There never was more than
three dollars,-perhaps only four
or five half dollars,-never any
quarters or dimes. The purses
contents had been carefullycounted
beforehand. Leila would hate her
self as she pocketed the money.
hate Beckie, hate her husband.
But she had come to depend on
this weekly largess, pitiful as it
was.
She never wasted words nova
days on Philip. She set his food
before him on the kitchen table
without comment. It was heaped
on a plate, and when it was licked
clean, he knew better than to ask
for more. At infrequent intervals
he handed her small handfuls OF
silver: seven dollars and a quarter,
six dollars, three dollars and sew
enty-five cents. He gave her prac-
tically all his commissions, keep.
ing out dollar or two for care
fare and cigars. He said nothing
about the lunches. His brother,
in ignorance of how the money
went, continued to pay for them.
Whatever hesitation Philip had
once felt in asking Harry to help
him, gradually disappeared until
he came to appeal to him at the
end of each month, quite as mat
ter Of course.
Dear Harry" he would write.
"I've figured it out pretty care
fully. and I guess I can get along
with a hundred and thirty extra,
this month, so send it along If
you can spare ii. Yours affec.
Philip"
The Letter
The money never failed to ar
rive within a day or two with
a scrubbed note pinned to the
check:
Glad to help cut. Hope things
will perk up. Harry"
They did not seem to. The
Vale mansion fell vacant again,
and Leila would have gladly sold
it to be rid of ii, but real esta te
values had fallen and continued
to decline, SO that it was doubt.
ful If, on a forced sale. the
property would bring the price
OF the mortgage. >Beckie was
finally prevailed upon to pay the
monthly interest, though she CON.
sented with extremely bad grace
and much grurabiing.
The time came when PHILIPPE
little family was actually in
want. Old Gus Brauser, the Ger.
man grocer, told Leila she had
better pay up before she charged
any more; the butcher and the
dairyman followed suit; when a
collector called for the rent,
there was no money to give him.
Leila sold the furniture in stor-
age, but when this was gone she
was at the end of her resources.
She had disposed Of her jewelry
long before. She gradually reach.
ed the conclusion Philip was not
giving her a proper share Of his
commissions; he was holding
out" on her. That explained whv
he was SO fat, sleek and tovial;
why he was always in such good
spirits. She had but to look at
herself in the mirror to see that
she was growing thinner and
daily more haggard. She knew
what it was TO be hungry and
have no food to satisfy the crav-
ing.
She faced him one evening
when he came home, with the
statement that there was nothing
in the house for his dinner, and
that unless he brought her some
money, he could expect nothing
more to eat in that house. Wnv
didn't he appeal to his brother
for a loan? He frequently had
| helped Harry during the DAYS of
his prosperity, and it was no
more than right that Harry
should reciprocate.