The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-12-18
SELECT STORY.
[From scribner's Monthly.l
RUDDER GRANGE.
(coNcLUDED.)


in our book, because we hadn't the sum
upon which the furnishing of, small
house was therein based
"And if we haven't the money" re-
marked Euphemia, ait would be of no
earthly use to look at the book. 1t
would only make ms doubt our own cal
culations. You might as well try to
make bricks without mortar, as the
children of Israel did"
at could do that myself, my dear"
said I, "but we won't discuss that sub
ject now. We will buy just what we
absolutely need, and then work up from
that"
Acting ON this plan. we bought first
small stove, because Euphernia said we
could sleep on the floor, If it were
necessary, but we couldn't make a fire
on the foor-at least not often. Then
we got table and two chairs. The
next thing we purchased was some hang
ing shelves for our books, and Euphe-
mia suddenly remembered the kitchen
things. These, which were few, with
some crockery, nearly brought us to the
end of our resources, but we had enough
for big easy-chair which Euphemia
was determined / should have, because
really needed it when came home at
night, tired with my long days work at
the office. had always been used to
an easy chair, and 1t was oneNof her most
delightful dreams to see me in real
nice one, comfortably smoking my cigar
in my own house, after eating my own
delicious little supper in company with
my own dear wife. We selected the
chair, and then we were about to order
the things sent out to our future home,
when happened to think that we had
no bed. l called Euphemia's attention
to the fact.
She was thunderstruck.
III never thought of that" she said.
1--WE shall have to give up the stove"
"Not at ALL" said ], eve can't do that.
We must give up the easy-chair."
"Oh, that would be too bad" said she.
''The house wonld seem like nothing to
me without the chairi'
"But we must do without it, my
DEAR" said !, "at least for awhile. I
can sit out on deck and smoke of an
evening, you know"
EYES," said Euphemia. "You can sit
on the bulwarks and / can sit by you.
That will do very well. Pm sure I'm
glad the boat-has bulwarks."
So we resigned the easy chair and
brought a bedstead and some very plain
bedding. The bedstead was what is
sometimes called "scissors-bed. You
could shut it up when You didn't want
to sleep it il, and stand it against the
wall
When we packed up our trunks and
left the clearinghouse Euphemia fair
ly skipped with joy.
We went down to Ginx's in the first
boat, having arranged that our furniture
should be sent to us in the afternoon.
We wanted to be there to receive it.
The trip was just wildly delirious. The
air was charming. The sun was bright,
and had whole holiday. When we
reached Ginx's we found that the best
way to get our trunks and ourselves to
our house was to take a carriage, and so
we took one / told the driver to just
drive along the river road and would
tell him where to stop.
When we reached our boat, and had
alighted, l said to the driver:
"You can just put our trunks inside
any where"
The man looked at the trunks and
then looked at the boat. Afterward he
looked at me.
"That boat amt goin' anywhere" said
he.
"I should think not" said Euphemia
"We shouldn't want to live in it, if i
were"
"You are going to live in it?" said th'
man.
eyes," said Euphemia.
"Oh!" said the man, and he took oul
trunks on board, without another word
1t was not very easy for him to ge
the trunks into our new home. In fac
it was not easy for us to get there our
selves. There was gang-plank, with
rail on one side of it, which inclined
from the shore to deck of the boat at ar
angle of about forty-fve degrees, and
when the man had staggered up this
plank with the trunks (Euphemia said
1 ought to have helped him, but real
ly thought it would be better for one
person to fall off the plank than for two
to go over together), and we had pait
him, and he had driven away in 1
speechless condition, we scrambled VI
and stood upon the threshold, or, rather
the after-deck of our home.
1t was proud moment. Euphemi;
glanced around, her eyes full of happ.
tears, and then she took my arm and W
went down stairs-at least we tried &
go down in that fashion, but soon foun'
it necessary to go one at a time. w
wandered over the whole extent Of on
mansion and found that our carpente
had done his work better than the wo
man whom he had engaged to scrub ant
clean the house. Something akin Il
despair must have seized upon her, fo
Euphemia declared that the floors look
ed rather dirtier than on the occasion o
her first visit, when we rented the boat
But that didn't discourage us. w,
felt sure that we should get it clean il
time.
Early in the afternoon our furnitur'
arrived, together with the other thing
we had bought, and the men wh'
brought them over from the steamboa
landing had the brightest, merriest face
I ever noticed among that class of peo
pie. Euphemia said it was an excel
lent omen to have such cheerful fellow
come to US on the very first day of on
housekeeping.
Then we went to work. put up tn