With the end of the school year Tom and Helen were able to give their complete time and energies to the Herald. When Monday, the first of June arrived, they were working on their fourth issue of the Herald and Helen had written a number of stories on the last week’s activities at school, the graduation exercises, the junior-senior dinner and the senior class play. She praised Miss Weeks highly for her work with the class play and lauded the seniors for their fine acting. Although urged that she say something about her own part, Helen steadfastly refused and her brother finally gave up in disgust and delved in to the ledger for on his shoulders fell the task of making out the monthly bills and handling all of the business details of the paper.
When Tom had completed his bookkeeping he turned to his sister.
“Helen,” he began, “we’re not making enough.”
“But, Tom,” she protested, “the paper is carrying more advertising than when Dad ran it.”
“Yes, but our expenses are high,” said Tom. “We’ve got to look ahead all the time. Dad will have used all of the money he took with him in a little less than six months. After that it will be up to us to have the cash in the bank. Right now we’ve just a little under a hundred dollars in the bank. Current bills will take more than that, and our own living expenses, that is for mother and we two, will run at least $100 a month. With our total income from the paper only slightly more than $200 a month on the basis of the present amount of advertising, you see we’re not going to be able to save much toward helping Dad.”
“Then we’ll have to find ways of increasing our volume of business,” said Helen.
“That won’t be easy to do in a town this size,” replied Tom, “and I won’t go out and beg for advertising.”
“No one is going to ask you to,” said Helen. “We’ll make the Herald such a bright, outstanding paper that all of the business men will want to advertise.”
“We’ll do the best we can,” agreed Tom.
“Then let’s start right now by putting in a farm page,” suggested Helen.