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

and does all the work that Mr.. Grabo
gets the credit for. and a lot Of other
things. But the amazing thing she
told me, that simply knocked me cold
was just before VIII and Mr.. Bartell
got there for dinner. She had be.
come very confidential and she told
me her husbands income.
1t was eighteen hundred dollars a
year. fifteen hundred salary and three
hundred bonus.
why. isn't that funny" I ex.
claimed. That's the same salary my
husband gets"
1t was perfectly true. because the
bonus wasn't part of Chandler Bar
tells. 1t came at New Year and was
a present from the company, nothing
to be counted on. OF course, Mr..
Bartel had got it for five years now
and probably always would. but still
his actual salary was just the same
as Wills.
sat, pie-eyed, and looked around Betty
Bartells porch. at the wicker chaise
Tongue and the smart wicker bird
cage with a fernery all made in one.
| looked through the French door into
her living room, which has Chinese
rug and is simply rich looking. and
on into the dining room, which has q
refectory table. Their maid, in a
black dress with IA white apron. was
setting the table, and the whole at
mosphere was simply ooZinS with lux
ury In that one brief glimpse |
realized the magnitude OF the jump
that Will and had made This was
the social class we had scared into.
At first il was almost dazzling 10
have So much To spend for luxuries.
OF course. the things we got might
not seem luxurious to millionaires and
such people. but they certainly did
to us.
Gosh" said win. coming home
with a spotlight for our fiivver but
I'm glad To get this. You need IT If
you're going to use your car after
supper in the Fan or Winter
AS matter of fact. the light cost
only two dollars and a quarter, but
till VIII got his raise we had never
seemed To be able to get it out Of our
budget any one week. and had kept
putting it off Ii has been just the
same about salad plates. Six Crusted
glass salad plates only cost five forty
and yet till VIII got his raise l had
never seemed able to squeeze out
enough to get them. AS | told VIII,
it did seem marvellous luck that our
financial situation should have chang.
ed just when | began getting intimate
with Betty Bartell. because | simply
couldn't have faced having them for
dinner without salad plates.
Then VIII subscribed to a golf mag
aZine. That was pure unauthorized
eXtrava gance. He doesn't play golf,
himself: he's always repeating a joke
he heard once that he wouldn't even
know how to hold caddy. but for
some unknown reason he'd been just
hankerine to take that magazine. 1t
seemed positively feebleminded thing
to do to me. but l couldn't say any
thing against it because Will was so
nice about my getting a satin bed
spread. which he thinks is all folderol.
and which | admit myself. ism t
awfully practical.
And the comfort we both got out
of being able to subscribe to Mrs.
Scoggins's charity. She's crazy about
cats. and this charity is TO take care
of homeless cats. AS Will said there
are hilanthropies closer to his heapt,
but that it was nice to be in position
to shell out So when it pleases
anybody as much as that pleased Mrs.
Scoggins. She took us home from
church in her limousine and, by the
grace of heaven, Betty Bartell and
Mrs. Stevens happened to be passing
just as we we're getting out. Betty
joked me about being right in with
the old Suard''-even if the Har-
vester bunch respect the Scogginses
and Mr.. Gordon and the Burrisses,
and / could see that she and Mrs
Stevens thought more of me for it, so
l didn't say anything about the cats
x X x X
REING in a position to 90 into the
city to the theater once in A
while. we were always running onto