| Show 8 Husban VeL audi and I IBy S By J Jane ane S 'S CHAPTER 81 ChrIstmas Plans I The next day dar we were pretty tired I and I had a slight headache Tom said saidI it was from the the smoke as I I had had taken nothing to drink but coffee So after he left for the office Peggy got a pencil pencil pen pen- cil and paper and sat down to plan for Christmas One spends so much less money and gets better results if a list Is made When I start out without one I always bu the wrong thing or pay too much for it she said Oh I hate the holidays I ex- ex claimed If I were rich ana acid could make everyone lovely presents I should love it but now it is un tan awful bore and I shall be glad when It Is all allover over I did not tell peggy however however how how- ever that with the debts hanging over me I would have no money to spend and that I was worrying about It We must have a tree for little ittle Tom she said then It will seem real I think the day was Intended intended In- In tended for children anyway but we we grownups had to butt In I do too I agreed and I wish the children were the only ones allowed allowed al- al lowed to presents This giving to people because e you feel you must Is Isan isan an awful bore bor and expense I know but what can we do about it Peggy laughed Then we have a dandy time last night Sue I wouldn't have missed It for anything Neither would I but what do you suppose your mother or mine would have said could they have seen all those women smoking never recover from the shock Ill I'll tell you something Sue I tried to smoke once and It made me sneeze and cough so I had to give it afraid it would up If I hadn't been have made me sick I would have tried again last night Youre more of a sport than I am I Iguess Iguess guess I admitted but without jeal- jeal Carol Blacklock had said my which to me meant my ignorance Ignorance Ig- Ig norance was my attraction A WA WARNING NING SNEEZE About six o'clock that afternoon I Iwas Iwas was in Peggys Peggy's room the door ajar I had said nothing to her about lending me the twenty five dollars Something brought It to my mind and I thanked her effusively better owe me than the butcher she said la laughing I at least wont won't dun you ou over the telephone he awful I exclaimed I didn't know what to say to him Tom thinks I can pay all the house bills with what he gives me Perhaps I could If I didn't keep using the money for other things I explained rather shamefacedly You have no idea how how money goes h Iq New York Peggy It goes fast enough anywhere she returned and just then Tom sneezed We had not heard him come in in but that sneeze was suspiciously near the thedoor door That you Tom 7 I called trying to speak naturally Yes Come here Sue I I. I want to talk to you ou a minute He led the way into the living room and closed the door NoW tell me what all this talk about the butcher an and being dunned over over the telephone me means 1 s he said st sternly Why Why-I- I t. t Do Dont Don't t t prevaricate Tell Tell me ma j what It means Tom inter d my stammering attempt to explain A QUARREL lowed 1 owed the baTcher hutcher a little tle lain and h he called up and asked nie l e for it I Isaid Isaid said desperately I thought t that wh when n I raised our y-our allowance I told you not to run any bills Where here did you get th the money money to pay him and how much was It I did riot ot dare tell an I Idid Idid did not know what he had overheard It was Marty dollars and I borrowed borrowed bor- bor rowed twenty five five from Peggy Thirty dollars A butcher bill for that amount I never ne heard of such sucha a How long has It been runn running run run- n ning gr Oh not long When I had a little littleto to spare I I. I gave eve It t to him It a sop to he said sarcastically I had no no idea what he meant so said nothing Then How do you propose to pay Peggy I dont don't know I hadn't thought and the tears I h had d so far lt kept pt back flowed freely Have you no idea of what Is proper and right Sue You not only deceive me and keep a man who needs his money waiting bu you ou borrow from froma a guest I had put away a little for forus forus us to spend for Christmas presents I will give It to you to pay Peggy and we will make no gifts this year and turning he left me I bathed my t eyes and when we all met at dinner dinned no one one would have known that w was S almost hating Tom I that he was vas bitterly censurIng me for fori i what I had dori done What would he say 1 If he I owed lowed I C CHAPTER APTER 82 Attractive Advertisement While I felt sorry that Tom and I II had his manner when we I were alone showed he had not forgiven me- me yet meet et I couldn't help feeling relieved that he would pay Peggy Id I'd find a away away I way to make what gifts I considered necessary I Just as I came to this conclusion I picked up the morning paper and andI I advertisement ImmedIately I caught mye my e e All goods bought now will be put I up upon n Februarys February's bill I was the department nt store where I had an account I could find almost anything I wanted there And Andas as the account would not be rendered until February Id I'd find some way to pay it when It came in As I look back I wonder why I acted as I did I seem to have had no I slightest sense of perspective Uve It was wasI I completely dwarfed by my desire to live as T saw others living Nothing 1 pleased me more than to see signs n of weakness I I weakness in Tom as regarded our ourI finances nothing annoyed me more I than to find him sticking to his old old- fashioned Ideas Ideas-as I called them I So when Peg Peggy y came Into my room with her pencIl rand paper to finish out the list we had begun the day before before be- be fore I was all animation all readiness readiness readi- readi ness to enjoy pl planning nning with her Well gO down to tomorrow tomorrow tomor- tomor row told I-told her and start in In Well We'll t task ask Helen Thurston to go with us and if we go earl early we can do a little shopping shopping shop shop- ping then go to a movie or something We Ve dont don't want to buy everything In I one day do we AN UN REGARDED LESSON I I 4 No 0 Indeed and Id I'd just love lo to go goto goto to a movie r I never seem to see I enough of them Peggy declared Helen was delighted to go with us so as soon as luncheon was over we started We Ve shopped about an hour then went into the n nearest arest movie I had bought very little just a present for mother and one pr or two little things thing for the girls at home home who always remembered remembered re- re I me Pege had spent pent 10 or 12 and Helen had charged a lot lotI lotof I of things The movie happened to be one about an extravagant wife who ruined her husband husban I 1 remember thinking how silly and overdrawn It was But as I Iview Iview view n In the light of experience I see that it was only what I was do- do big The wife in the picture had started much the same wa way I had b by deceiving h her r husband over littlE bills I and had finally driven him to crime to toI obtain enough to satisfy het- het I because he loved her How far fetched Helen sale ala liS as we I hurried toward the subway j I dont don't know that it was Peggy replied If Ie a man loves 10 a woman he I will vill do lots of I things he would think I otherwise wrong i I I Where did you learn all that I Helen teased and then we forgot all about the movie In discussing a Yen very smartly dressed woman sitting opposite opposite i site usI us I I wonder wh where re she got that gown it Is perfect Helen said Yd ld like to o. o know UNWELCOME NEWS Tom was at home when we got there He had a letter from his mother in his hand and passed it over for me to read She had been quite ill and was still far from wellI well I have written mother that now that my salary has hils been raised she shall have 15 a month Tom told me when Peggy left us alone But Tom Tom-I thought thought-I thought she had that money your law brother got for her and that yoU weren't goIng going go- go Ing to send any more I stammered Ye We could scarcely get along now and here Tom was proposing to send 15 away each month It was ous Did you suppose that little hit bit would last forever With your way of handling money It would have gohe long ago he returned showing me that he had not forgotten Then Theres no use talking about it Sue Mother shall have whatever I consider right as long as she lives Heres Here's the cash for Peggy Please give it to her herat herat at once and also please remember I that it Is very bad form to borrow from anyone but almost unforgivable to to borrow from an invited guest I said no more anent his mother I yet et my heart was full of rebellion His sister was so w wealthy althy wh why shouldn't she take entire care of her mother I left out the feeling a man might have that he liked to help the mother he loved and who had deni denied d herself many tim times s for him I gave Peggy the money at once She I was surprised and plainly showed it I There was no hurry Sue she said aid as she put it away awa No o but I feel bet better fer to give It right back I wouldn't have taken it at nil all Ii if I had not known I could return jt at aton on r I lied glibly 1 Monday Blizzard t I |
