CHAPTER II
NEW LIGHT ON OLD PAPERS
“Mother, you are worried about something,” said Barbara to her mother early the next morning as they sat alone in their little dining room, which was bright with the September sun.
Mrs. Thurston started nervously. She had been thinking so deeply that Bab’s voice had startled her.
Mollie and Ruth had rushed off early to find Grace and bring her back with them. Susan, the maid, was in the yard hanging up her dish towels. Mrs. Thurston had supposed Bab was deep in reading the history of David Copperfield, which lay open on her lap.
“You don’t answer me, mother,” complained Barbara, as she saw her mother’s face flush under her gaze. “You might as well ‘’fess up’ and be done with it. I know there is something wrong.”
Mrs. Thurston hesitated; then she answered quietly: “You are right, Bab, dear. I am very much worried and it is about money. But I did not want you children to know of it until I was obliged to tell you. Barbara, half of our income is gone!”
“Oh, mother!” cried Barbara, “what do you mean?”
“Well, dear,” said her mother quietly, “the money has not entirely gone yet. But I fear it soon will go. Your uncle wrote me that some stock he bought for me had been going down, down, until finally it will cease paying dividends altogether and be of no value. How shall we manage then? I have been lying awake at night trying to plan. You know it takes every cent we have to live in even the simplest way. Oh, Bab, what shall we do?”