Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-04-24
Copyright: 1912 By News Syndicate Co. Int
IN THREE PARTS-PART TWO

absorbed in his next weeks food. Did
he know how to pick out good 30
cent short steak for Sunday dinner?
II he must have two eggs for break
fast. grade B brown eggs would taste
perfectly all right If he scrambled
them. After a while Ronnie leaned
back on couch cushion, only half
listening but blissfully amused
1t tickled him-the way she chewed
her pencil SO intensely over whether
she should allow him one or two
pounds of sugar a week-and her hor-
ror at discovering she had forgotten
to include soap. There didn't seem to
be penny's worth of coquetry in her.
She pinned up her hair like a scrub
woman to get it out of the way-and
made herself enchantingly funny. =.
There was something babyish and ap-
pealing about her ear. It gave him
dreamy pleasure just to gaze at it.
There. That budget should feed
you" she turned to him triumphantly
and then. taking in his amused. re-
Taxed smile and nonchalant pose, it
dawned on her that he wasn't taking
his food allotments seriously. She
frowned at him accusingly. But 7
just bet you won't follow it."
Ronnie wasn't a good liar and he
grinnued sheepishly 1t was flattering
to have his benefactreSs concentrate
so anxiously on him. He rather en-
joyed being an unSolved problem.
Suddenly her black eyes snapped
with inspiration. Sublimely unaware
of all the Park avenue matrons and
matchmaking Southampton mothers,
the charity patronesses and man
hllnfiTD O urIN hoe l,i,
with invitations, Jenny decreed that
he should market and eat with her
seven nights week! Going $3.50, OF
course. That would give him practical
experience and the proper food! There
was no chance for him to plead other
engagements. She simply took it for
granted that he would come.
To tell you the truth, Ronnie was
modest fellow. 1t didn't occur to
him that his absence from social life
would make any great difference to
his friends. He Just left it to Carstairs,
his butler. and Henderson. his secre-
tary. to refuse all invitations and in
vent any excuses they thought best
Once, to bone up on art terms in
case Jenny questioned him, he did go
to an art museum with Sylvia Fair
child who was still unmarried in her
third season and going in strongly for
art. This outing-eXaggerat to art
classes seven nights week-reached
the ears Of his young married sister
in Baltimore She thought Sylvia was
a climbing little poseur and was much
alarmed. Little did she dream that an
other girl was very domestically inter-
ested in Ronnie.
Unaware Of the wild gossip he had
stirred up, Ronnie was busy with his
own problems. Once Jenny entrusted
him with the marketing and rowed
with him like a scolding wife when
he brought back two artichokes for 10
cents apiece-such extravagance-when
he could have bought cent cabbage
Just as well. He scored one triumph.
Jenny was tremendously impressed
with the flapjacks he had learned how
to make hunting in Canada.
At first, the amount Jenny spent
seemed so trifling, he didn't take it
seriously. Keeping within her budget,
1t dawned upon him that Jenny often
had to stretch her wages to get along.
Why, the week Jenny bought pair
Of shoes, they had to eat spaghetti
twice. Not that Jenny considered
spaghetti any hardship not the way
she cooked it.
Their budget was no longer a whim.
It was a vital matter. Checking it, he
made a horrible discovery. Jenny, SO!
sure of his poverty. so confident of
her own wealth-was artfully cheating
herself to make things easier for him.
There was a whole pound of butter, a
sack of flour and a dozen eggs she
simply hadn't entered in their joint
budget.
Only once had he aired the art
terms sylvia Fairchild had taught
him, Then Jenny frankly admitted
she didn't know beans about painting
and he was happy to drop all
talk of art. But if Jenny were going
To stint herself on stockings to pay
his weight of butter, it behooved him
to start selling the masterpiece he
didn't paint.
One exciting evening he announced
he had sold a picture for $25. THE
Fire Escape" was its name. After he
had sold The Vegetable Stand" for
SIS and Rear Tenement View" for
$50. Jenny began taking real inter-
est In his WOIk. NOI liide DIG "OuAA
let him increase their budget. From
one of her customers she learned that
a one-man show helped rising artist
his extra money must be saved for
that Even when Ronnie got 500 for
she wash Line" she wouldn't let him
splurge. ,o .,,. ..
show a little jealousy at his success.
After all. at the rate his career was
going he might soon be moving out
Of her sphere Many another artist
had left his old friends behind. I'll
sinnlv didn't seem to enter Jenny's
fhnIehts that his growing prosperity
might nrevent him eating-and help
inc nrepare-her delicious meat loaves
When his sister wired Ronnie to!
ev,,oct her for a three-day visit, Jenny
agreed it was only right for Ronnie to!
70 off the budget and give his sister
q good time. Naturally he wouldn't
dine with Jenny those, three nights.
She picked out a couple of inexpen-
sive restaurants for him-and never
t00k his sister fnl