"You'll find something tomorrow," Pearl said reassuredly.
"I've got to go to the bank first," said Joe. "Tomorrow's mortgage payment day. Just how much do we have in the bank?"
"About seven hundred dollars," said Pearl.
"Enough to last us for three months, if we scrimp," said Joe.
Pearl looked shocked. "You will find a job before that!" she exclaimed positively.
The day Joe paid the second mortgage payment out of savings deposit funds, she was forced to admit that he might not.
"Romburg-Smith closed down today," Joe reported weariedly. "The army cancelled their jet motor contract. Twenty-two million dollars worth. All in all, the army's cancelled sixteen billion dollars worth of contracts in the last thirty days. The President's estimate of unemployment today is up to twenty-eight million. There were food riots in Indianapolis...."
"Food riots!" exclaimed Pearl. "You mean fighting, violence?"
"No, not exactly," admitted Joe. "The newspapers called it a riot, because they're desperate for news, these days, and anything at all that will give them an excuse for some sensational adjectives for the headlines, they'll jump on. As a matter of fact, it was just a mass-meeting to request federal aid held in the courthouse square. There were signs reading 'Give us jobs, or give us food.' All very orderly and politely. But I keep thinking that hunger is a very primitive instinct, and I keep thinking of the Devil downstairs, and what he'd have to say about it."