Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1919 — Fifty-Fifty [ARTICLE]

Fifty-Fifty

By DORA MOLLAN

(Copyright. IMS. by th* McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) Ted Joy came into the family dining room doling out the morning mail and commenting on the external appearance of each letter before parting with it "Here’s one for you from Aunt Ann, mother; the ever-unwel-tome little bill for yours, dad; two for yours truly, and only one for you, Sally. What’s ha ripened to Chet? — skipped you two days now.” He paused to scrutinize carefully a large square brown envelope, ignoring his sister’s outstretched hand while he remarked: “Says ‘Fifty-fifty’ in the corner—and some address —sounds like a tooth paste —” "Or a lottery number,” added bls father. “Give the letter to Sally, Ted; you’re worse than a country postman.” was glad to hide her disappointment at not receiving a letter in Chet’s scrawl <by appearing interested in the one bearing the cryptic number. “Quickest way to find out is to open it, I suppose,” and Sally suited the action to the word. Glancing at the first few lines she turned over to the signature, exclaiming in a surprised tone: “Why, it’s from Chet’s sister, Elizabeth. They’ve taken a little house out in Brownsville. It’s on a river and it’s hardly finished yet.” Then, reading along, “They’ve taken it by the. year; expect to stay there most of the time. They’ve named it ‘Fifty-fifty.’ She wants me to come down over* the week-end.” “Believe in being original, don’t they?” commented Ted. “I like Elizabeth ; she’s a good sport.” “A clever little woman, and her husband’s % brilliant fellow —always en-

ifcM——i—«r- »'■■ • ■ joy his stories, come, Tea, or we’ll be late at the offce.” So saying, Mr. Joy, followed by Ted, walked out of the room and out of this story. Mrs. Joy turned to her daughter: “Sally, haven’t you and Chet made up that absurd quarrel yet? If you don’t look out you’ll lose him. And then —” “Mother,” Sally Interrupted calmly, looking.up from the letter she was still reading, “Chet and I have not quarreled. It’s merely a difference of opinion.” “Call It what you like,” Mrs. Joy persisted, “it amounts to the same thing. When 'I was young a girl was glad enough to give up her work when she married. You’re a mighty lucky girl to get a man with a salary like Chet’s." “Mother, it isn’t the money—but what’s the use of arguing? I just can’t make you understand. Listen. Elizabeth says that their new house would just about fit into our living room and that It has five rooms. She is furnishing it according to the ideas she absorbed in Greenwich villagepainted furniture, in bright colors. She says it’s a dandy bluff to put up when you’re broke, to pretend to prefer that sort of thing to solid mahogany. She wants me to come down and help her decide on some of the colors. She asked Chet, too, but he can’t get away. So I’ll go, mother, If you don’t mind. I can’t do any more up at Mrs. Barlow’s until that cretonne comes.”

When Sally Joy alighted from the train at the Brownsville station it was raining steadily. No one was there to meet her. She ran inside, but the little building was empty. Through the window she could see a dilapidated buggy standing outside and a motor car with curtains tightly drawn, came bumping down the road. It stopped with a jerk and a man jumped out. The long yellow oilskin slicker and slouch hat pulled down would have disguised him from his best friend, but by a certain Indefinable something, perhaps his brisk movements, Sally recognized him instantly. Something sang in Sally’s heart, “It’s Chet! It’s Chet!” but she determinedly squelched that something and presented an unsmiling face to the young man. Chester Radiker seemed oblivious to her coldness. With much gallantry he . took her bag, complimented her on her appearance, helped her into the car, and kept up a running fire of conversation during the three-mile drive. He described his sister’s house in an amused fashion, commented on its name, and answered that he would leave that to Elizabeth to explain. “Of course,” thought Salty inwardly, “this is all for the benefit of the Jitney man, He’s making a show of treating me like any guest of his sister. I’ll be just as nonchalant about it as he is.” When the car stopped and Chet pulled back the curtains Sally behelda tiny house, hip-roofed and

. —O ~ nestling close to the country road, off the broad veranda stood Elizabeth and her husband, his arm about her shoulders. While Chet was settling with the jitney man his sister drew Sally indoors and up to the guest room, where a cheerful fire burned on the hearth. “Take off your wet things and get into a negligee,” she commanded, “and let’s make ourselves comfy here by the fire. The men of the house will start dinner. I want to talk to you before we go down, so save your exclamations about the house and the view—you can’t see it well, anyway,, till later. “First, I’ll confess that I told you a fib about Chet’s not being able to come. Now don’t get huffy—it’s because I'm fond of you and want you for a sister that I’m taking all this trouble just at this time when I’m up to my neck In work. I wasn’t ‘camming’ in my letter. We are hard up just now, and besides fixing up this house on next to nothing I’m earning enough to carry us along for the present, just doing those little water colors.” “But I thought Jock —” began Sally. “Now don’t Interrupt till I finish," went on her hostess. “Jock has stale. You know that often happens to writers. Ever since he had the flu He hasn’t written a word for two months. He’ll come back all right here, though, where he can live the outdoor life he loves. We spent altogether too much money in the city last winter, too. Well, he said that if J had to take the man’s place for », while the only decent thing for him to do was to go fifty-fifty on the household work. And he does. That’s where our house gets its name." “I sat Chet down in front of me this morning and I told him all I have told you—and some more; now I couldn’t have done this if I hadn’t kept my hand in and had a market for my my doing nothing outside our horns when we had plenty, why—” A cheerful voice sounded from the foot of the stairs. “Say, the potatoes are In the oven, the table is set, the meat’s cooking—and It’s cleared off. There’s a glorious sunset, girls; come on down on the porch and view it with us.” •“Oh, Chet,” palled his sister, “come up here a minute." But when he ar rived, two steps at a time, she suddenly remembered that Jock was Ignorant of the mysteries of salad mixing, and disappeared. “I’m a convert, Sally,” frankly confessed the young man. “You may keep up your interior decorating. Only see that you don’t earn more than the old man—he’d be jealous.”