The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1876-09-09
HOW WE OBTAINED A HOME.

"Why, viii. what has caused you to
| be so late p said she "the tea has
been stepped this half hour, and real
| ly began to fear that some one had
taken fancy to your watch, and caus-
ed you an unpleasant delay"
This remark was made with refer
ence to an ancient time. piece which |
| carried, a hugh watch which had be-
lOnged to my grandfather. My wife
was always predicting that some gen.
tlemnnly fOotpad would seek to possess
himself of this valuable if / was not
careful about exhibiting It, The truth
was, she was sorry In her heart that |
could not afford better one, and so
she took this method TO banter me.
We sat down to tea that night in our
cozy little back parlor, beside bright
CRATE fire, and the fragrant and stimu-
lating OOlOng, and my wife's cherry
talk soon caused me to forget my long
walk, and the drenching rain and the
unpleasant incidents of the day.
"Do you know, my DEAR" said /,
breaking open a white, creamy biscuit
the while, and laying on a slice of yell
low butter, ''do you know had very
serioue thoughts on my way home to.
night 2"
'Oh, no doubt you did," said she ;
you thought, perhaps, in fit of men-
tai abstraction, of how much you made
on the last corner in speculation"
A II this was decidedly naughty.
You see l had managed to save a
thousand dollars, and friend of mine
u IN n.,I j, al - ...a
'cOrner" on wheat, and the half of my
humble pile was sufficient seed for a
rich tarvest on such "corner" as was
preparing. Well, l invested, partly
to please my friend and good deal to
please myself, to make little money
quick, and the result was the following
Saturday night-Will Aitken minus FIVE
hundred dollars.
"No said nothing of the kind.
was thinking how hard 1t is to be poor.
How hard to toll on year after year,
and just barely make a living. Here
we live in rented house. We have
paid out in rent for this cottage three
times its first cost. A man ought to
own the house he lives in, il it be but
shed. l have never seen the time
when could spend money for house.
When fortunate In a speculation, | have
let my fluids slip through my fingers,
] don't know how, and my regular SAL
airy is only sufficient for our yearly ex-
penSes."
"Do you mean to say" said she,
looking archly over her cup, THAT you
would willingly compel the wife of your
hs,n i.,l li,t, .tNa IlT,. a.,A h..o
structure than this !? Do you really
"No, no." said /, land, indeed, If I
were to think Of building cheaper cot
tage where is the money to come from ?
and then l groaned audibIy over the
aforesaid Corner"
"Well," attn glad you are sill de-
voted husband, not in The least disposed
to play the tyrant but would it not
be well, now that we are on this subject,
to see If there is not some way open to
liberty? For my part, would like to
walk over patch of ground which we
could call our own. "DO you know" "
said she, that have never cared any
thing about flowers here ? 1t is not
because | am not fond Of flowers, as
| you well know but it seems so ridicu-
lOus to be cultivating flowers on rented
ground. How | would like to be the
mistress of little yard, and then the
| flowers would be- my own"
The fact Is, my wife had been always
| talking after this maLDer. She wanted
me to build house, even though it had
but one room. And so answer ed her,
Eyes, yes but where is the money tC
come from ?" and again l thought OF
the ''cOrner." .r
| "Well," said she, "this Is the first
time that you ever seemed to see eye tC
eve with me as to love in cottage.
| When the thousand dollars were In the
bank, you insisted that we had moi
enough now that the half is gone,
say that we still have sufficient to begin
with, and my feeling is ''slrike for yOul
affairs and your fires" By this time
we were through tea, and taking cigaI
from off the mantel, sat down In my
easy chair, leaned back, took two ol
three whiffs of smoke and said to her
my dear, will you be kind enough tt
inform me how | can 90 to work Il
build house for FIVE hundred dollars 2
In the meantime she had drawn &
stool to my feet, and was sitting look
ing up at me, her rosy and lustrou'
face beautiful in the gas light. 1t hat
been dtbcult for me at first to withstand
that face. | believe l have never ye'
refused any request of hers save tC
abandon my cigars and build cottage
and now felt my time had come, anC
so pulled away at my seed Havant
with uncommon Zest.
"Now, Will," said she, ''llsten.
hear there are lots for sale in c.
great large lots on long time, at thre'
hundred dollars each. 1t Is only tel
miles by rail, and property they say i
rising in value there every year.
My plan is this Go down and buy {
lot now, and get ready to build on i
in the spring"
Yes" said 1. but you forget tha
it requires mouey." .....
| "Stop," said she, pulling with he
tiny hand at my beard you pay
down for your lot one hundred, anC
have nothing more to pay for TIVE
years. We shall be able to replace thu
| mnnau hu snrin0 aud havu Ava huni