The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1927-08-13
Received a Pink
Invitation
BY JANE OSBORN

a n NcIDDG Ilul ANial tNiH
opened-an abrupt announcement from
the local bank that she had oyerdrawn
her account to the extent OF six dol
lars and three cents Mnlsy sighed. In
a way she had been prepared for II.
Pansy, her old colored cook-housekcep-
er, had brought Il into her little studio
after the postman had come yesterday
afternoon She was too absorbed In
her painting ut the time to bother
about II then. So she went on patient.
ly putting In the finishing touches on
the lovely rose garden that was later
to serve as the cover for nursery
mans catalogue.
After breakfast the next morning
she opened this envelope from the
bank. 1t was at least comfort to
know that the overdraught was no
larger. She found ten dollars In her
purse-ten dollars and few silver
pieces. Well. she could buy enough
food for the day with the change and
the ten dollars would cover the
amount due. 1t would be embarrass-
ing to go down to the bank with just
ten dollars, and there was no way of
getting any more until she had been
to the city. Maisy sat and considered
ways and means. She hated to face
the receiving teller-and it would
probably be her luck to find the sour
faced Mr.. Granger at the window, but
1t would be worse facing Mr.. Berton.
the very nice-looking young cashier,
whose genial smile Maisy felt sure
would have brought him fame and for
tune In the movies" OF course he
doubtless knew of her mistake. They
had probably discussed her at the
bank-said things about her. They
didn't know that Maisy chung strictly
to her self-imposed rule of saving
three-quarters Of all the money she
earned. That amount she deposited
with a trust company in the city,
where the money was invested In the
safest sort Of security. Maisy was
curious medley of improvidence and
caution. From her mother she inherit
ed this fixed intention of providing
lavishly for the rainy day and from
uCI 1dII6T IeChIeSS IuIllllcSSuCSS
that made it apparently impossible for
her to live comfortably within her self
determined aIlowance-and even more
impossible to keep any sort Of &C
counts. She didn't even try to keep
any sort of accurate record of her
bank account
Maisy arrived on the stroke Of nine
and bravely made out her little de-
posit slip and approached the window
Of the receiving teller with fast-beat-
| ing heart. 1t beat little faster when
she saw that Mr.. Berton was on duty.
81 hardly had courage to come down
this morning" she said little shyly,
handing in her small deposit with her
| book. But | just haven't been able
to keep track Of my ACCOUNT know
1t is stupid"
Mr.. Berton looked up with an
amused smile. "Oh, so you got pink
invitation. too" he said. 81 didn't
even know it,"
mo harm done. anyway" said Mr.
Berton, mechanically recording her
deposit in her book perhaps I'd bet
ter have your account balanced for
you"
'TThank you so much," said Maisy.
"Pll try hard to keep it straight after
this. I'm so stupid"
ION the contrary" said Berton,
from all l hear you are quite the op-
posite." Then he looked about to see
that no one was within hearing. "But
if you have any difficulty in keeping
your accounts, perhaps I could show
you. 1t is very simple. Perhaps ]
could call some time and show you
and help you balance up from time
to time. Plenty of clever people have
the same trouble"
GLOW very good of you," sighed
Maisy. II am going to the city for the
afternoon but I'll be home tonight"
SO Mr.. Berton called and gave
Maisy beginners lesson in account
keeping-he stayed to look at her
drawings, and after that stayed a lit
tie later because Maisy said she was
lonely and wanted some one to talk to.
After that he called twice a week and
Maisy sat beside him as he attended
to her accounts and told him that AZ
long as he was willing to do it for her
she wouldn't try to learn. Then one
day Berton made a suggestion-not
without little embarrassment. He
told Maisy that he wondered why she
didn't try to save little. There were
lots Of ways that she could economic
and-if she had set her heart on re-
naming unmarried all her life-she
ought to think about saving for q
rainy day.
|. Maisy told him she hadn't set her
heart on remaining unmarried all her
life-then she looked up at him timid.
| ly-and BertOn looked back at her
laughed little and then took her into
his arms and said, "Just a little"
when Maisy asked him if he loved her
Afterward when Berton was about to
leave Maisy said that as long as she
didn't intend to remain single all her
life she supposed it wouldn't be neces-
sary to start saving
I'll do the saving for the two" said
Berton. 81 guess it runs in our fam
lily. I've always saved half my salary
and I've a fairly decent Inheritance
BESIDES"
Maisy tossed her pretty head with
an as re y,,ooI-