Smyrna times., 1931-08-26
WEEKLY SOCIETY STORY FOR
EVENING ROUND THE LAMP
READING TO WHILE AWAY
TIME AFTER DAYS CHORES
Constance Kept Jim From Pro-
posing" An Interesting Story
Written by Jane Osborn


HTF I get my regular appoint
L ment," ventured Alice Gage.
teacher of 2B, "and an increase in
salary I'm going to get good fur
coat. What are you going to get?"
she asked, turning to Constance,
the newest of all the young teach
ers-and by all means the most
attractive.
"Pm going to get a car" said
Constance, and then looked a lit
tie surprised at what she had said
swell, that's nice," said Alice.
Then you can take US all out with
you. And l hope you won't be fool
ish enough to go and get married
this summer-before you get your
appointment. It's all right to marry
eventually, but honestly girl can
have a lot of fun being free for
few years with the good salary she
gets nowadays"
AS the bell that summoned the
teachers back to their class rooms
sounded, Constance went on with
the train of thoughts that this re
mark had started. There was Jim
Lacy back home. Jim was full
fedged lawyer now, but with moth
ing In the world to start with II
would take quite few years for
him to be earning enough to have
much to offer a wife. Constance
assured herself she hadn't any in
tention of listening to Jim's plead
ings during the summer.
SO all that summer Constance
kept Jim from proposing, though
this was not an easy thing to ac-
complish. In midsummer she was
notified of her permanent appoint
ment.
Then came the busy first days of
school. The younger teachers as
fortunate as Constance were all es-
tablished teachers now.
"rve been to see about my fur
coat already" said Alice Gage. 81
suppose you'll be arranging for
your car" she said, turning to Con
stance. "You can get it right away
if you have a few hundred saved.
Every one gets them on the INSTALL
ment nowadays"
So it really seemed to Constance
that there was nothing to do bur
to start negotiating for a car. That
afternoon she ordered it, and was
going the following afternoon to
the savings bank to draw out the
necessary amount to start the ne
oh
would have to pay seventy-fve dol
lars a month. After she had made
her monthly payment and paid her
board bill she would have just
enough to buy clothes and little
incidentals.
It was not until she was on her
way to the bank the next day that
the idea first occurred to her that
after she had bought the car she
would have to keep 1t somewhere.
She spent several hours on the aft
ernoons following and finally dis
covered a not very convenient
garage where she could keep her
car for fifteen dollars a month. That
would mean a total of ninety dol
lars a month. Constance did some
more figuring and decided that if
she didn't go to the movies or the
theater and didn't get any new hats
she could manage.
Then there was the confusion and
excitement Of learning to drive her
new car. The garage boy who gave
her instruction of course had to be
paid Meantime there had been the
license for the car and later her
own license. Constance was be-
coming quite concerned.
Then she began to drive, and she
discovered. as she had not thought
to consider before, that cars need
gasoline to run, and gasoline
costs money. A little more fgur-
ing showed Constance that she
would have to do without any new
shoes. She took some very old ones
to the cobbler to be mended and 1t
was on the way back, wearing her
last years hat and looking quite
detected, that she CHANGED to see
Jim.
Jim, 1t turned out, had come on
from home expressly TO see Con-
stance. He suggested that they go
out to dinner together and then to
the theater.
1t was after the theater on the
way back to Constance's room that
Jim proposed, and Constance did
nothing to keep him from it
wouldn't have dared to ask you
to marry me this summer" he said.
"But somehow now you seem lit
tie forlorn and lonely. Constance.
couldn't we be married very soon?
I'm getting along pretty well now"
Constance told Jim that she
would marry him In February IL he
wanted her to.
"Jim," said Constance, looking
little frightened, do you think you
could do something about my carr
/ don't want to spend any more
money on 1t, because / want to
save now for my trOusseau."
That's great" said Jim, "be-
cause one of the things / came
down here for was to see about get
ting a car. First l wanted to see
about marrying you, then ! wanted
TO see about getting nice ring. pro-
viding you'd have me, and then !
wanted to buy a car-so's I'd have
it all ready when you came to be
my wife. You've said yes, and I'll