The Bozeman courier., 1926-09-24
OVERHEARD

and bought what he thought was the cor
rect thing, a solitaire diamond a flawless
and small diamond, set high in claws of
gold.
Ellen looked at it somewhat desperately.
She knew she wouldn't wear that ring.
els it all right2" asked Kenneth. Ellen
heard the eagerness in his voice, and
found 1t hard to speak. Finally she told
him it was beautiful, but that she'd like
to look the rings over with him and see
Fine" said Kenneth generously.
They went together to the jewelers., and,
having laid the gold and diamond ring on
the counter with the definite intention Of
never picking it up again, Ellen led her
finance skillfully from the trays of modest
solitaires to other trays where, in intricate
platinum settings, expensive and Turing
diamonds lay.
'This is a beauty" said Ellen unerringly,
after a close inspection, picking up the
ring she meant to have. 1t was not, she
thought so much for the sake of the dia-
mOnd. Rings had never interested her
greatly. But she couldn't have her friends
make fun Of Kenneth, as they would if
she wore the one of his choice.
us that an engagement ringF asked
Kenneth dOubtfully.
''The latest" offered the clerk.
"And you like it. Ellen2?"
Ellen moved her hand along toward his.
"Don't your" she asked smiling.
She left him with the clerk while she
went to look at a case full of gold mesh
bags. When she came back, Kenneth was
little grim and slightly pale, so she
knew the price must have been mentioned.
1t took the fun out of it, thought Ellen, to
have to maneuver with a rich man like
Kenneth.
That was the first heat. There were
other incidents like it. Ellen knew they
were watched and gossiped about. She
became Self-cOnSCiouS and even more de-
liberate as she put Kenneth through his
PAGES. Little things began to assume great
proportions. Kenneth's eye on the price
Il LIST q q fhnV nr6nrnd dinner COnI0 madden
her after a week or two. Once they dined
in q restaurant which was frequented by
Ellen's old friends, and she felt that every
one could see that measuring eye OF Ken
neth's comparing prices with pleasures,
figuring whether the particular gastrOn-
Omic joy was worth the expense. She
knew that before they were through din
ner he would look around and wonder
what the overhead Of a place like this was
/ Sure enough, it came.
"It's the overhead of a place like this
that makes it so expensive" said Ken
meth, eating his oysters.
'Is it expensive7" asekd Ellen lightly
Kenneth reached for the menu.
els it," he asked, "lOOk here---ninety
cents for ice cream. Now at Mrs Davis
we have ice cream in a ninety cent din
ner-the best ice cream"
"But consider the place in which yOJ
have to eat it," suggested Ellen.
Kenneth looked, at her queerly. She die
seem intelligent, and yet she could make
absurd remarks like that He was cOntin
ually torn by his desire to inform her, tt
educate her, and his humility and gratitude
be the richest, the best cared for woman
in the city, he told himself, secretly IL
delight.
/ "You see," Kenneth went on, education
ally, 'where these places make their mis-
take is in putting so much money int
the overhead. They have to write it of
as loss in the end. Never get it paid for
Now the university club here has the sam
mi E,T1
there who want a new club. Want to pu
up a building that would cost hundre'
thousand dollars. A lot Of fellows VIII
don't figure out
! Don't figure out the exact cost OF en-
iOyment?" asked Ellen icily.
} Her eyes had just fallen on Sidney Blai
across the room with girl who used
! be an intimate Of hers. She knew the
gagement. Sidney had made quite dread
] full row, and now he made as dreadtT
3 fun of the affair.
: "What do you mean?" asked Kennetl
. Ellen let her eyes rest critically on he
: "Don't you ever get tired of figurin
exactly how much it costs you to breathe
Don't you think it would be better just
enjoy breathing, as other people do?"
Kenneth was grave.
"a lot more people could breathe con
fortably," he said, "h they would li'
wisely"
| HOW Cdn you UG sure gOu AG AAfAnS
wisely? Don't you think there are plent
of people who are proud of possessions eve
if it is hard to take care of themT WI
want things even il they have to stretC
a point to get ,them?"
"I've seen people crushed by wanting
keep possessions" he said.
He was thinking of his own father wit
his passion for his lands, but Ellen thougl
he was referring to her people and h
head went up, If that was what he meal
to preach at her
"I'm like that" she warned him, 81 wa
everything I see."
All he did was to laugh. 1t did n
seem to occur to him that such films
PHILOSOPHY could upset his own.
what do you want this minute?"
asked. "YOu deserve anything for loo
ing so lovely"
But is was not easy for Ellen to al
for things In the matter of the ring s.
had acted to save Kenneth from beiI
mOcked She made him take her to e
pensive restaurants lest he be accused
not wanting to do so. But it told on b
temper. Until recently she had been a
customed to have good many thin
laid at her feet, and going after them w
a new and unpleasant experience. She sO'
found it was easy to get particular thin
from Kenneth, but there was no joy
such acquisitions or in looking forwa
= to married life OF subtle extractions.
didn't seem to see the obvious things, Ii
. the reasons why they should take the b
h. fast sailing steamers on their Weddil
M trip to Europe or the necessity for
al house that would have a proper RELATE
to his income.
= Two or three times she was on t
- point of breaking off their engagement, a.
th each time something prevented her.
90 was so comforting to know, as she we
r about her work in the city where she b
been brought up in luxury and where S
= had known so much trouble, that she b
- an anchor, that there was some one
to whom she mattered tremendously. T
IS proportions Of his devotion as compar
or with the argumentive Sidney Blair
It shown her and the in-again- -out-again Fl
tatiOns she had had with all kinds
a. men, lOOmed large. Kenneth made
SO bones about it. She was the center of
IaI world. If it had only been a more &c
IS. erous world, Ellen felt it would have be
. perfect.
w She saw soon enough that Kenneth "
- not popular with the other men, and s
ney Blair had made the reasons Gle
enough before her engagement If he v
not to earn popularity in some way,
"A thought 1t would mean a married life
q quasi-ostracism. She could see them bel
Nv asked to big dull affairs and being ]
~ out of the small gay ones. The only thi
to do was to change Kenneth, and as
at- weeks went by Ellen began to be less 81
ter Of her power to do it. She wore aextr
- o1o - E.w IL