The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-12-18
VOLUME 2.


forward to this first meal with the great
est delight. You can go up to the little
store by the hotel and buy some things
and will cook them, and we viii have
our first dear little meal here all alone
by ourselves, at our own table and in
our own house"
So this was determined upon and, af-
ter hasty counting of the fund had
reserved for moving and kindred ex-
penses. and which had been sorely de-
pleted during the day. kset out, and in
almost an hour returned with my first
marketing.
I made fire, using lot of chips and
blocks the carpenter had left, and Eu-
phemia cooked the supper, and we ate
it from our little table, with two large
towels for table-cloth.
1t was the most delightful meal l ever
ate.
And, when we had finished, Euphe-
mia washed the dishes (the thoughtful
cree ture had put some water on the
stove to heat for the purpose, while we
were at supper and then we went on
deck, or on the piazza, as EuPhemia
thought we had better call il, and there
we had our smoke. 1 say 1re, for Eu-
phemia always helps Dae to smoke by
sitting by me, and she seems to enjoy it
as much as I do.
And when the shades of evening be-
gan to gather around as, I hauled in
the gang-plank Gust like a delightful
old bridge, Euphemia said, al
though hope for the sake of our ances-
tors that draw-bridges were easier to
haul in) and went to bed.
1t is lucky we were tired and wanted
TO go to bed early, for we had forgotten
all about lamps or candles.
For the next week we were two busy
and happy people. 1 rose about half
past five and made the fre,-we found
| SO much wood on the shore, that |
thought should not have to add fuel
to my expenses.-and Euphemia cooked
the breakfast. ! then went to a well
belonging to cottage near by where we
had arranged for water privileges, and
filed two buckets with delicious water
and carried them home for Euphemia's 's
use through the day. Then l hurried
off to catch the train, for, as there was
a steamboat, the hours of which were
not convenient. After day of work
and pleasurable anticipation atthe office
/ hastened back to my home, generally
laden with a basket of provisions and
various household necessities. Milk
was brought to us daily from the above
mentioned cottage by little toddlel
who seemed just able to carry the small
tin bucket which held lacteal pint. i
the urchin had been the child of rich
parents, as Euphemia sometimes observ'
ed. he would have been in his nurses
arms-but being poor, he was scarcely
weaned before he began TO carry milk
around to other people.
After / reached home came supper
and the delightful evening hours, wher
over my pipe Il soon gave up cigars
as being too expensive and inappropri
ate, took to a tall pipe and canister to
bacco) we talked, and planned, and told
each other our days's experience.
One of our earliest subjects of discus
sion was the name of our homestead
Euphemia insisted that it should have {
name 1 was quite willing, but W.
found it no easy matter to select an ap
propriate title. I proposed number o
appellations intended to suggest the
character of our home. Among thest
were: "Safe Ashore" "Firmly Ground
ed" and some other names of that style
but Euphemia did not fancy any o
them. She wanted suitable name, o
course, she said, but it must be some
thing that would sound like house ant
be like boat.
"Partitionville," she objected to, ant
"Gang- plank Terrace" did not suit he
because it suggested convicts going ou
to work, which naturally was unpleas
ant.
At last, after days of talk and cogita
ton we named our house "Ruddel
Grange"
To be sure, 1t wasn't exactly grange
but then 1t had such an enormous rua
der that the justice of that part of thu
title seemed to overbalance any little in
accuracy in the other portion.
But We did not spend all our spar,
time in talking. An hour or two
every evening was occupied in what W
called ''fxing the house." and gradual.
the inside of our abode began to lool
like conventional dwelling. We pu
mating on the floors and cheap but yer.
. pretty paper on the walls. We adde,
, now a couple of chairs, and now a tabl
or something for the kitchen. Ere
, quently, especially of Sunday, we ha'
company, and our guests were alway
charmed with Euphemia's cunning lii
tie meals. The dear girl loved goo
eating SO much that she could scarcel
fail. to be good cook. We remove
our bed to the extreme bow-part of tn
boat, and put up muslin curtains to SCI
: arate it from the parlor.
We worked hard, and were very haI
py. And thus the weeks passed on.
In this delightful way of living, onl
one thing troubled US. We didn't sav
any money. There were so many littl
things that we wanted, and so many Iii
tie things that were cheap, that sper
pretty much all l made, and that wa
far from the philosophical plan of Twin
that wished to follow.
We talked this matter over gre:
) deal after we had lived in our new hon
r for about a month, and we came at la
to the conclusion that we would take
e boarder.
$ We had no trouble in getting boar'
< er, for we had friend, young ma
|. who was engaged in the -four bushes
It who was very anxious to come and Ii,
d with us. He had been to see US two
II three times and had exnraced bimsa