Improvident as the run of newspaper writers are, Conover had fulfilled one obligation to his family--he had kept up his endowment policies; and for eighteen years the insurance had taken care of Kitty and her mother, who because of a weak ankle had not been able to return to the scenes of her former triumphs.

In 1915 this darling mother, whom Kitty loved to idolatry, had passed on.
There was enough for the funeral and the cleaning up of the bills; but that was all.

The income ceased with Mrs.Conover's demise.

Kitty saw that she must give up writing short stories which nobody wanted, and go to work.

So she proceeded at once to the newspaper office where her father's name was still a tradition, and applied for a job.