Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-12-18
How We Obtained A
Home.
BY AN OLD CITIZEN.


1t was dreary November night
the rain had been falling all day, and
l was thoroughly drenched aud in
wardly disconsulate, when my little
wife met me at the door. s..-. ..:.
why, Will. what has caused you
to be 80 late p said she "the tea
has beet stepped this half hour, and
/ really began to fear that some one
had taken fancy to your watch, and
caused you All upleasant delay"
This remark was made I'm refer
ence to an ancient time. keeper which
carried-a huge watch which had
belonged TO my grandfather. NV
wife was always predicting that some
gentlemanly footpad would seek to
possess himself of this valuable, If 1
was not more careful about exhibit
Ing 1t. The truth was, she was sorry
in her heart that could not afford a
better one. and so she took this
method to banter me.
We sat down To tea that night I'm
our coy little back parlor, beside a
coy CRATE fire, and the fragrant and
stimulating Oolong, aud my wife's
CHEEKY talk, soon made me forget my
long walk, and the drenching rain,
and the unpleasant incidents of tEs
day. ..u-...-.
"Do you know my DEAR said /,
breaking open u white, creamy biscuit
the while, and laying OH u slice of
yellow butter. "do you know that
had some very serious thoughts on
my way home to night?'
"Oh! no doubt you did,n said she,
tvnn fhnilubt hana Tn ~
mental abstraction, thinking how
much you made on the last corner
In speculation"
All this was decidedly naughty.
You see had managed to save a
thousand dollars, and friend of
mine knew IL, and he also knew of
a nice corner" on wheat, and the
half of my humble pile lie said was
sufficient seed for rich harvest Oh
such n CORNER" as was preparing.
Woll | Invested, partly to please my
friend, and good deal to please my
self, TO make little money quick,
and the result was the following !:
Saturday night-Will Aiken minus
five hundred dollars.
No." said / nothing Of the kind.
| was thinking how hard it Is to be
poor. How hard to toll OH year after
year, and just barely make living.
Here We live I'm rented house. We
have lived here ten years. We have
paid out iu rent for this little cottage
three times its first cost. A man
ought to own the house he lives i'm,
II IT. he but shed. | have never
seen the time when / could spend
money for house. When fortunate
in a speculation, have let my funds
sii? through my fingers, l don't
know how, and my regular salary is
only sufficient for our yearly expens-
c."
do you mean to say,n said she,
looking at me archly over her cup,
that you wonld willingly compel
the wife Of your bosom To live In u
smaller and cheaper structure than
this? Do you reaily?"
mo, no. said /; "and, indeed. III
were to think of building a cheap
cottage, where IL the money to come
from? aud then / gronned audibly
over the aforesaid "co. uer.n
Well said she. ! am glad you
are still a devoted husband, aud not
disposed I'm the least 20 play the ty.
rant; but would IL not be well,
while We are on this subject, to see If
there ID not some way open To liberty? I?
For my part, i would like to walk
over u patch of ground which we
could call our own. Do you know
that 1 have never cared anything
about flowers here. 1t is not because
| am not fond of flowers, as you well
know, but ii seems so ridiculous To
be cultivating flowers on rented
ground. How | would like to be the
mistress of a little yard, and then the
flowers would be my own
The fact is, my wife had always
been talking I'm this manner, She
wanted to build house even though
1t had but one room. And SO | an.
swered her: "Yos, yes, but where is
the money to come from 2" and
again thought OF the Corner
Well,' said she, "this is the
first time that you ever seemed to
see eye to eye with me as to love In
= cottage When the thousand dol.
lars were In the bank you insisted
shat We had not enough; now that
L'.lf ID gone, say that we have still
enough to begin with, and my feel.
Ing IL strike for your alters and your
fires. 10
BY this time we were through tea,
and taking cigar from the mantel,
l sat down In my easy chair, leaned
back, took two or three whiffs of
smoke, aud said To her: "My dear.
will you be kind enough to inform
me how j can go 10 work to build a
house for five hundred dollars ?n
In the mean time she had drawn
o stool TO my feet, and was sitting,
looking up at me, her rosy face lus-
trous and beautiful i'm the gas. light.
II had been difficult from tile first for
me to Withstand that face. L believe
! had never yet refused request of
hers. save To abandon my cigars and
to build a cottage, and now felt
my time had come. Sd pulled away
at my seed HAVANA with uncom-
mon zest.
"Now WILL" said she, .listen. Il
hear there are lots for sale on c.
great large lots, on time, NJ three
hundred dollars each. 1t 10 only six
miles out by rail, and property, they
say, is rising In value there every
year. My plan Is this: Go down and
buy ,. "a, . lot now, and get ready to build
Yes. said I, "hut you forget the
stop" said she, pulling with her