Today's Reading

"Go easy on that, young lady," I said. "We have to make that one jar last till the end of the month."

She froze, looked up in surprise. "Mama, why are we suddenly so poor? Papa has a good job, doesn't he? Everyone was very excited for him and he was written about in The New York Times."

"He does have a good job," I said. "And very good prospects for the future. The only thing wrong is that he's been working for nearly three months without a paycheck."

"He's not going to get any money for what he's doing?"

I gave a sad little chuckle. "Oh yes. It's a good salary, actually. Better than what he earned with the police. And the money has been approved by Congress. It's just that the wheels of government grind slowly, it seems. It takes time to go through the various budget departments and for somebody to set up actually paying him. When it finally comes in, all will be fine. He'll be getting a big chunk of back pay. It's just that now we're trying to be frugal."

Bridie nodded and solemnly scraped some of the jam back into the jar. "It's a pity you can't go back to work," she said. "When you were a lady detective you earned money, didn't you?"

"I did," I said. "But I have a small baby and a young son who need me."

"You've got Aileen," she said.

Upstairs I heard Aileen singing as she tidied. Yes, I was lucky to have a cheerful mother's helper like her, but I found myself wondering how long we could go on paying her with no money coming in. Then I corrected myself. I was worrying too much. We surely had enough savings in the bank to tide us over.

Bridie tucked in to her jam sandwich. I started to prepare tonight's liver casserole. It was lucky some cuts of meat were still cheap because there were now only a few coins in my purse. Confound that Daniel Sullivan, I thought angrily. I didn't ask him to take this new job. He was doing just fine with the police and we could eat better than liver and onions.

"So do you miss it?" Bridie looked up.

"Miss what?"

"Do you miss working? Being a lady with a business? Independent?"

I considered this. "Yes. I do at times. When we had that problem at the movie studio and they asked me to go undercover, I truly enjoyed it. It made me realize what I'd given up, although I do love my home and my family."

Bridie made a little grunting noise as if she didn't agree with any woman being content with motherhood. "When I finish my studies at Vassar I'm going to be an independent lady," she said. "I can't decide whether I want to be a scientist or a writer or maybe even a lady detective."

"You're a lucky girl." I looked at her, mouth jammy at the sides and crumbs on her chin, and had to laugh. "You've the whole world of opportunities ahead of you. And at the right time too, where there are so many new discoveries every day: electricity, telephone, moving pictures..."

"Oh yes," Bridie said. "I'd forgotten that one. I might want to be an actress. I never really got a chance to try it out properly. That movie studio didn't call me back for another role in the summer like they promised they would."

"I'm afraid the movie studio was in turmoil after all that happened," I said. "I wonder if they will ever get back on their feet again with nobody to run it."

Bridie nodded sadly. "It's too bad. Then I could have given you the money for our food."

I felt a tear prickle at the back of my eyes. "Oh, sweetheart, I wouldn't have wanted to take your money. No, don't worry. We'll be doing just fine, I promise."

I felt guilty that I had involved her in our present condition. As I threw the onions into the frying pan, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I had money that would tide us over. I had been paid for my work at the movie studio and had stashed those five bank notes away for a rainy day. And now that rainy day had come, sooner than I had expected.

Bridie glanced up at the clock. "I must go and tell the ladies across the street!"

"I don't know if they'll be too excited," I said. "Oh, they'll be happy for you, but they are not big fans of the celebration, as you know. When the parade committee was announced and the city was represented by a hundred and fifty men, it was bad enough. Not a single woman to give her input. Then when the suffragists asked to march and were turned down, they were not pleased."

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