Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-27

| courtney, VINO asked him Tor II. knew
I about the Van SAINT job, and VIII said
! he didn't have the face to give just
| So. the way he did last Fall. He
said he was making nearly as much
as Bob now and he felt that If Boz
gave ten. he ought to, too. But while
we had got the two before half out of
the amusement" and half the i'm
provement" division. viii said he was
blamed if $40 was either amusing or
! improving.
| So, in one way and another, our old
budget got so mixed up that it didn't
! seem worth while to try to use it at
| all. ! knew it was silly to worry over
| this when we had SIPS a month com
ing in. but II made me feel kind of
guilty whenever l thought of it.
Then once in a while I'd get irri-
tated at VIII, when he bought things
that even on our income seemed down
| right silly. We had a real quarrel
| over correspondence course in parlor
magic that he subscribed to. l said
1t was silly and selfish to be thinking
of sleight of hand. when we could have
| bought things we really needed for
the SIS Will said he'd like to
see anything sillier or more selfis.
than my spending $l5 on one party.
Just to impress Betty Bartell and Mrs.
Stevens. Betty's chum. who Is also in
the Harvester crowd. | reminded Will
that he made very nearly as much as
even MIR. Stevens think Mr.. Stevens
does get over two thouSa nd: but that's
not so much more-and that if the
Stevenses could afford to give that
Kind of party, SO could we.
But there We're no two opinions
about what we did a few days before
Christmas. We were coming home on
the train with Mr.. and Mrs. Burriss.
and Mr.. BurrisS asked VIII If he, was
in a position to swing second hand
roadster. Mr.. Burris son had
bought new car and shipped his old
one home to his father. What he
wanted new one for. III never tell
YOU: the old one was knockout. But
Mr.. Burriss didn't want another open
car, and he said he'd let Will have it
cheap and pay for il he liked. SO
much a month if he'd rather. He likes
VIII an awful lot.
VIII and | sat up till > o'clock dis
cussng ii that night. OF course We
were both mad TO get the roadster.
| VIII is just crazy about engines and
he said that one was marvel. said
he could teach il to come to the sound
of his voice and eat out of his hand.
There was room for another car in our
garage. and the idea of having TWO
cars-when our f1ivver sedan had
always seemed rich beyond compare
to me-was enough to dazzle anybody.
After all, the two together won't
cost any more than the Stevens's
one" ! reminded viii. And YOU
make about the same as Mr.. stevens
does.
I've got TO decide right away"
said VIII. "Because-this is a funny
one-old Petey Jensen wants to buy IL
if we don't. Seems he's been saving
Z fnr hn'
automobile this Spring.
Il
WELL. that really decided us if
a man who mows lawns and
tends furnaces could buy that car il
was funny thing if couple that went
around with the Harvester crowd and
| came home from church in the ScoG-
ginses' limousine couldn't. We de-
cided to pay for it. month by month.
with the Van SAINT money, and that it
should also be our Christmas pre- SCENTS
to each other.
So we were really at the very peak
| OF our prosperity that last day of De-
cemE.r, s | sat embroiderinS happily
in the afternoon. 1t had been a grand
Christmas: the new roadster was in
our garage; the Burrisses had invited
us to so into the city the next evening
! TO the theater: and l was feeling
peaceful and prosperous and content
! 1t Is strange how you can sit and
embroider on the edge of great
! chasm in your life, without even
knowing there is a chasm there and
that your rocking chair is edging con-
stantly closer to the edge.
| AS ! looked out of the window and
saw Betty Bartell hurrying up the
Snowy path to the door, J was just
pleased to see her coming l didn't
know that her knock marked the
| turning point in my whole life.
! She looked kind of strange and wild
as she came into the living room, and
without a word of prelim nary she
said:
Dorothy, can you lend p,e hun
| dred dollars?"
"A hundred dollars" I gasped
Why. Betty, I haven't get a hun
dred dollars
Can you get it?" she asked. And
her eyes looked so wild and her voice
was queer and tense.
Why, | don't see how l can" l
faltered. Will and l agreed we would
never borrow from other people I'M
less we were sick and absolutely starv-
ing. And all that we have saved.
Wills been buying some farm land
over by Verblen with
Betty kept unbuttoning and but
tonins her fur coat frantically.
I've got to get it somewhere" she
said in the same tense voice. 1T
means my whole future with Chand-
Ter. l owe it at the grocery and
other stores here, and yesterday a
credit man was up and threatened to
Sarnishee Chambers salary. | put
! him off, telling him I could pay it to-
day when we got the bonus. Chandler
and I quarrel all the time about
money, and | did promise him l
wouldn't run any bills, but she
shivered: "Oh. I'm afraid to tell
| him.
will he give you some of the
| She stared at me, her eyes getting
dark and tragic.
Dorothy she said, Chandler had
| just telephoned me. There isn't any
| bonus this year,
| I just stared in helpless sympathy.
/ Betty began to cry.
I'm afraid to tell Chandler" she
repeated.
| Maybe you could borrow some from
Mrs. Stevens" l suggested.
Mrs. Stephens she sobbed con-
| temptuously. Mr. Stevens doesn't
! get any bonus, either"
/ But out of their savings,
! mean
Their savings-they've got as much
as we have. They'll have to let their
| sun-room furniture so back: they're
buying 1t on time. They're as far
back in their rent as we are-their
car is mortgaged. too"
! | just stared at her. After few
minutes she buttoned up her coat and
wiped her eyes.
| We'll, I'll have to try Mrs. Curtis
then" she said in hopeless tone.