The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-11-22

sc. 50 a ton, brought into the building.
That makes seventeen or eighteen cents
a day" II
"fell him about the provisions, said
the husband, with a chuckle.
IL am coming to that part of the
story" said the little woman, with
glance at her husband.
Then addressing herself to the silent
guest, she said: Edward makes q
great deal of fun about my buying the
provisions for our table, because | will
never let the cost of what we eat go
above a certain amount each week. If
we have an extra good dinner one day
we practice little self-denial for the |
rest of the week. Some days we do not |
eat any butter, other days we go with !
out milk, and in warm weather we only |
have meat once in four or five days. |
How much do you think it costs me a
week to supply our table? Please give
a rough guess"
40, about twelve or fourteen dol
lars" promptly answered the newspa-
per man. making what he thought was
a low estimate.
II spend four dollars week, and no
more, for provisions, replied Mrs. r.,
with an emphatic toss of the head. This
dinner to-day is extra, because we have
company, but shall not allow it to in
crease the aggregate cost OF our food
for the week
THAT'S so, she won't" groaned Ed
ward. Tomorrow there will be moth
ing bnt behring's, soda crackers and
cold water On the table,
81 resent that imputation," said the
young wife, laughingly. edward
knows that we always have plenty OF
good. wholesome food. In fact. we
are obliged to have it. for both he aud
exercise great deal each day, and
then our baby is two years old. and she
has ravenous appetite. know that
to persons who have kept house it will
seem almost incredible that family of
three can be well fed on sixty cents
worth of food each day. We could not
get along on what sixty cents would
buy if l should purchase my supplies
from day to day. But 60 to market,
sometimes twice week and sometimes
once a week, and buy enough to last
| two or three DAYS or week, as the case
may be. Flour buy by the bag. and
sugar ten or twenty pounds at time.
| l make my own bread, cakes and
pastry, and have learned how to dress
up fancy little dishes out of the simplest
kind of fare. We have ham quite often.
One ham will last It's long while, yet
we do not get tired of it, because there
are dozen differentways of preparingit
for the table, Whenever l buy a roast
OF beef we have it in many different
forms. l can get a good roast at my
butchers for one dollar, and that will
last us three or four days. We will
have from that single piece a meal OF
roast beef, meal of stewed meat with
potatoes, platter of cold meat with
pickles, and perhaps some good beef
soup. We eat a good deal of oatmeal
cracked wheat. hominy and rice. Such
food is not only nourishing, but it costs
but little, and can be served in agreat
variety of WAYS. Fried hominy and
strip or rice pudding makes very nice
dessert. BY the way, l shall ask your
opinion of some of my rice pudding as
soon as you have finished your beef and
potatoes.
The pudding was served few min
utes afterward, and it was truly de-
licious compound. of rice and egg and
sugared frosting. - :.
snow let me do sum in addition,
raid the husband, taking out his pencil
after the meal was over. 'My wife
says that we pay forty cents day fol
rent, sixty cents day for provisions
eighteen cents day for fuel and abou
one cent day for oil; that makes jus
one dollar and nineteen cents. Is there
anything else?"
40, yes," exclaimed the wife, ''ther,
is Kate. the washerwoman; l pay he
, one dollar and twenty-five cents week
,, which is about eighteen cents day.
swell, that brings our necessary ex
penses, not including clothing, up t.
S1.37 a day." continued the youns
man, putting on thoughtful air. M,
salary, as you say, is about 1913 a day
> Last year we saved nearly S270, whicl
, is trihe more than seventy-three cent
! a day. Take that out and it leaves u
Just about 81 day to live on. We hav,
already accounted for $1.37. What be
comes of the rest?"
1--WE spent about $3.50 for clothin
iaSt year, suSSestSu tHo WIZ III
had that $25 suit and your summer sui
: which cost $40, and had dress an,
: my new cloak, which, with what th
: baby had to have, and shoes and hat
4 for all of us brought the whole amour
h up to nearly $3.50"
4 THAT makes about forty cents a da,
to be added to the $l.37. making in al
: $1.78 of our 81. There is twelve cent
day or a little over $43 yet to be &C
J. counted for. That, l suppose we ca
j put down for incidentals."
o The young wife nodded her hea
: afiirmatively, and the newspaper ma
3 asked, with some surprise, whether
r was possible that the $i3 would cove
v whole years expenses for two pei
sons in car-fare, amusements, lunche
. in New York. etc.
q co." said Mrs. r. eagerly, ''but W
don't have any such expenses. 1t
a very seldom that my husband or m-
q self has occasion to take street-cal
n walk TO market and back; it is nc