Show HIGH COST IN 1922 an exchange name unknown because this is clipped from an exchange that gives credit to an exchange contains the following under the heading of tragedy in one act scene smelter employees home time four p m sometime during the year 1922 it if the cost of living stays up cast of characters father the mill em aloye mother matronly and well preserved rosie the seventeen year old daughter and a good looker ignatz lover somewhat bashful but willing to stick around tony the eleven year old roughneck the scene opens with the family sitting on the front porch waiting for their dad to come home from work it is pay day and from within comes the penetrating odor of a warm supper which will soon be attacked enter the father who seats himself at the table the family greets him with affection fec tion and he hands his wife his bis two weeks pay which amounts to tony ma ima can I 1 have for a dish of ice cream mother tony you must not ask tor for I 1 any more money this week I 1 let you have thirty dollars monday and that must last you until saturday night father these kids will keep me flat on a rock here I 1 am plugging along for a measly a day without any chance for overtime enter ignatz rosie gets all fussed bussed up and beats it for the other room father come on in ignatz and listen to us eat ignatz just thought id drop around and see if rosie wants to go to a show ive got two reserved seats for 9 rosie returns with her nose powdered the family retires to the garden leaving rosie and ignatz alone ignatz rosie dear ive bought a little two room house just outside the city limits for and I 1 though maybe we could occupy it together do you think you and I 1 could live on 48 a week ignatz calls in the rest of the family and breaks the news father now that we are all together I 1 want to make a little speech ignatz and I 1 are working hard bard every day im trying to keep the wolf from the door and ignatz is trying to get a few thousand dollars ahead so that he can get married between the two of us we are earning about a day the telephone bill is 15 dollars a month groceries about a month meat is a month gasoline for the flivver is 27 a gallon eggs 60 a dozen shoes 97 a pair milk a quart potatoes 13 a bushel on sunday we go to church and if we dont put a 10 bill in the collection we feel cheap at the end of the month a man is lucky to break even A dollar looks the same as it used to only it travel as far the boss tells us that every time he raises our wages the other fellow has to raise wages too and all got to sell their stuff for more money in order to keep going a he says that weve all got to pull together and help him run his mill better than he has ever run it before and in that way maybe he can sell for less mother youre right dad it high wag wages es going to help this family along dont you remember when you were getting 3 a day we used to salt 10 a month and now we cant put away a cent father well I 1 must hurry along has anybody in this crowd got 3 for a postage sta stamp mp |