The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-05-11

might have to sell it; and then all these im-
provements would be money in my pocket"
'God grant thIt time may never come-at
least not until our birdlings are full-fiedged
and able to fly from the parent nest | hope
this home is ours so long as we live this NOR
tai life,n said Tillie.
And Ellis would answer, heartily:
81 can't see why it shouldn't be, and, in
either case, we want to take good care of it.''
And they did. Every inch of ground was
occupied with something. Instead of croquet
or archery for the summer, the hoe and rake
were busy till the dusky shadows compelled a
cessation of toll. When Ellis would express
the fear that his wife was working too hard,
she only said
''The more done, the sooner VIC can have
home all our own; then l can rest
But sometimes, alone to herself, she con-
fessed that it was harder than she had anticl-
pated. The fruit and vegetables helped good
deal, but the children grew bigger and needed
more to eat, and their clothes would wear out
1t is hard to sit down in the evening to mend,
after doing day-and a-half 6 work at other
things. The monthly installments and inter-
est, the taxes and necessary repairs, made II
pretty hard work to figure out the most
economical expenditure of what remained
And once there was an extra assessment for
benefits when the town took off a generous
slice of their front door-yard in widening the
street, which was wide enough for them be-
fore, but not for two or three spans to test
their speed on. So Ellis could not forbear
saying:
4
want poor man to have home of his own,
else they'd make it a little easier for him to
get one."
1t was near the close of the second year, and
the addition had not been put on. They had
squeezed along" Ellis Harvey came home
one night with an unusually weary walk Til
lies quick eye detected it, but she said moth
ing till the children were in bed; then she
asked what had gone wrong.
=" Nothing, yet, he said, - but heard to-day
4 tlftrx AiFarr 70 n1ff fft- nI1r
What for!' Tillie asked, in dismay, as
she held up little Dicks threadbare dress, to
look through it at the light, and see how big
patch to put on.
80, don't know; / didn't hear any reason
given. May be it isn't so.
And the hopeful wife reioined:
81 don't believe it is. I'm sure they
wouldn't, if they knew what hard work We
Precious little they'd care about that,
guess. ] tell You, Tillie, l can't help thinking
some folks in this country would like it better
If they and few others owned it ALL Don't
| it seem soE''
81 don't know about that; but it does seem
| as five had right to home without scrimp-
| ing half our lives away to get it. But don't
worry, dear. You won't be able to do your
work SO well if you do.''
AS was his custom, Ellis took up paper to
read to Tillie while she sewed 1t was
brought from the Office that morning, but she
had been too busy to open it. The first thing
that met Ellis eye, as he took off the wrapper,
| was: "Stringency in the money market"
| Then followed an account of several business
failures.
Where is the money!" askel Tillie
Isn't there as much as ever in the country:'
| II don't know
81 don't, either. think of these things a
great deal. There was something of the same
kind in New York paper which | picked up
in the store yesterday. When our house is
paid for l shall try to learn something about
finances"
hope you'll take good long rest before
you try to learn anything. | can see that this
constant care and worry tells on you, and
sometimes I feel afraid you'll break down
under it."
Don't fear for that she answered, hope
fully as ever. ''You are blue tonight. Go tC
bed and you will feel better in the morning
III come when I finish darning these stock
ings. l wish we could buy such stockings a:
my grandmother used to make. One pail
would outast ten like these. They tall
about tie work our grandmothers did, bu
they could make dress or pair OF stocking
and wear them long enough to turn arount
in, which we can hardly do now with sucl
: material as is furnished u.s.
The rumor was true. ''The hands, in tn,
| establishment where Ellis Harvey worked
were cut down twelve and half per cent.
which took off three dollars of his weekly pay
, There was much complaint from the work
men, but they we're assured that provision
were enough cheaper to make up"
Ellis said:
1--WE must give up the Kindergarten
And Tillie answered:
'Yes; but did hope we could keep then
there, for | know of nc other place where the
} learn to work both with hand and head. ]
every child learned that, criminals and pauper
would be few
, Before six months had gone by there was an
| other ''cut.n How it did hurt Those wh
. bought and used the elegant silver-plateG
i - H. G. ~
never felt it. And the cutting kept on ii
Y wages were reduced to two dollars and fift
cents. "a
= hesitate now to go on with my story. Bu
e why should l! 1t is old story. You ca
D read its combinations in the signs: "Fo
G sale or to Rent posted by thousands all
r thousands all over the country But, as theI
Y are sadder things than even death, the concll
sion of my story is so much the harder
. write.
e Such a sign was posted one day on a tire
II which stood close to the fence in Ellis Ha
e vey's yard-the tree that held the swing
It which his children had spent so many hapI
5, hours-the tree around whose massive tru1
l. he had built rustic seat, which, alas he al
his faithful companion had been too busy
u occupy for many months at a time.
d "The wayfarers' seat has been more ser
'e iceable,' Tiliie said in alluson to long, cor
" Portable seat which they had put at the roa
/ side, under the ample shade of the same gial
st tree that bore the mournful sign, and over
~ posted notice: Pedestrians Rest" Fo
ct Tillie said: 4" I've envied the tramps lying
the roadside many time when I've walkt
,e home from town so tired and looked in va
S. for any resting place; and I've always sa
er one of my first cares if | owned a home shou
.e be to fix a place for foot-passengers to rest /
How many faces I've seen brighten as th
- came in sight of that seat. Ellis said at fir
ut that it would be a harbor for tramps; but 7
at lie said: ''No, they belong to the class tn
II, is INDEPENDENTLY poor and can afford to lie
ha af Haipp q
fe ble of course they will choose it. This is
those who have some regard for what peoI
to will think But even if tramps should occuI
e, it they will be less apt to curse US for beiI
o. better off than they are"
a With close economy and hard work N
ny Peck had been paid, but the interest on t
thousand dollars was two years behind. i
,ir holder of the mortgage pre- ssed for the none
money was tight,'' ''real estate was dead
ur The house and lot were sold to the highe
d. bidder, and after all their care and toll a
IS, self-denial, Ellis Harvey and his wife we
all homeless. All they had paid in was lost, a
is their improvements" ayailed them but
ou tie; for after the mortgage, with two yea
interest and the legal charges were deductt
/ only eleven dollars and nineteen cents 1
ut mained.
yo They took a small tenement in a block do
/ town. No grasses and vines and fragra
blooms woed Carrie to bring them in to che
M their poor little breakfasts; and 1illie, looki
ire at the unsightly buildings and dusty stree
IL slckeheu aI learC anu pineu LOT inc gre
to beauty of their lost home. great choki
elk sob came in her throat, and her eyes were
for and dry she saw in the streets those W
must be the companions of her children if I'll
~ should go out to play. But here they mi
stay, and Caroline had fixed show wind
BIT, with things she learned to make in the K
lse der. garten, hoping by their sale to help 7
'as the DOCTORS bill and funeral expenses of I
little sickly baby that came and staid W
EAR them for year and then was laid away.
ed Soon after they had taken up their abode
ms their new home y Mansfield Strong came
eld and said: "Well it's all up with you, too,
ord itP' (They had lost their place some time
in fore.) you're no better off than l am for
ice your talk about my beer and tobacco"
eyes am,'' said Ellis Harvey, emphatic
ith ly. 81 have at least the consolation of hav
al done the best | could. Tille and / tried
the best to do what every father and mother ou:
led to do for their children-provide them gC
ing home and develop their faculties
He We'll Pm sorry of courSe that vOr1'yp