The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-10-23
The Money
Question in
the Family
BY MYRA r LANE
20. 1924. western Newspaper union.)

Wv father tonight when he's In a
good humor after dinner" said Mrs.
Vane to her daughter. Hes certainly
got to put up the usual amount for
our spring outfit, and I don't care how
bad his business is"
For two or three weeks Charlie
Vane had been uttering fragmentary
and more or less disconnected plants
about the falling off of his sales. 1t
was a clever move, but he didn't recall
that he used the same tactics every
year, twice a year, in spring and fall,
whenever the half-yearly request for
clothing expenses had about become
due.
"Charlie, we'll have to have some
money for Clothes" said his wife that
evening, when they were alone.
Clothes? Why, you had clothes
last autumn"
"Now, Charlie, don't be absurd. We
need spring clothes as we'll as autumn
clothes. Doris is growing up to be a
as well as her friends. And as for me,
l simply haven't a stitch fit to wear"
"How much do you want?" groaned
Charlie. "Il like to make 1t a hun
bred, but business has been so bad Of
late
"a hundred? Charlie, do you under
stand what women's clothes cost now
adays? Two hundred and fifty is the
very least we can"
1.-TWO fifty? You're mad, StellaI
Where am 1 going to get two hundred
and fifty dollars from?'
"Charlie, do you want all the neigh
bors to point to US when we go out?"
you had two hundred last spring."
"Well, what OF it,"
"Can't you make your clothes last
two ~seasons?"
His wife gave him a plying look.
Charlie, I've got to have two hundred
and fifty, even If you put a mortgage
on the house."
He swung round in his chair, grabbed
his check book and wrote out a check.
'There," he groaned, handing it to her,
"and if 1 bust I bust. / can't afford
it. l can't keep up this expensive fam
lily. One day l shall disappear and"
But Stella, waving the check, had
already disappeared through the door
way. With a grim smile Charlie Vane
opened his account book and crossed
off an item of two hundred and fifty
dollars.
81 got away with it," he murmured.
oct xyoc a frafd chnjd ctrfIyo p,a FOR thraa
hundred this time. 1t surely pays to
exercise a little common
The door opened. Stella stood be-
fore him, penitent and confused.
"Charlie-'
my dear"
you're so kind and generous I hate
to worry you. You're so forgiving
and"
How much and what for?"
"Well, Charlie, / haven't brought
myself to tell you, hoping l could
somehow save it out of the housekeep-
ing money, but I've owed a bill at
Stern's for four months now and /
pay it off and-oh, I'm so
.roubled about it"
"How much?"
zone hundred and forty-seven dol
MY Godl" Charlie Vane ran his
myers through his hair. "Stella, do
you realize what this extravaganza
The music lessons will have
o be given up, and our trip to the
ieashore next summer, and
ooh, / know, dear. It's terrible. But
f you'll only try, just try to help me
tut this once | promise you I'll never
un into debt again"
With a groan of despair Charlie
Zane reached for his check book and
vrote another check. He handed it
o her.
Its my hearts blood that's written
d." he moaned. "Tll have to put a
arge mortgage on the house now, and
rop my life insurance policy and"
With a sob of gratitude Mrs. Vane
the check and went outside to
7here Doris was waiting.
SCOT It," she said triumphantly.
Here's your fifty, Doris. Now don't
ever run into debt again. A girl
our age"
How about you, mom?'
"That's different. This hundred will
My leave me twenty or thirty Over
)r myself, and"
In the room Charlie Vane opened his
ccount book and turned to an item:
"Debts, expenditures, ex-travagances
nd miscellaneous: estimate for cur
INT year, $780,"
n the other side of the page.
"That leaves $3.50 they could still
needle out of me by the end of the
he murmured. 1T women only
newt Oh, it pays, it surely pays
little common ems In household
.guIatiOnS."