Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-08-14
OUR PARLOR FURNITURE.

OUR PARLOR FURNITURE.
We had been married something
more than year. Had boarded at the
Mason House for a few months, unit
we were heartily sick of hotel life, and
then had retreated to private estab.
ishment. You know how that goes.
Life became burden. A burden?
might as well call it an intolerable bore.
We grew domestic very fast. We
envied Hawkins the trim little cottage
that had been among the many gifts
bestowed upon his fair bride, and of
which neither he nor his bride seemed
particularly fond. We marveled at
their Indifference to the blessing thus
forced upon them. The conclusion of
the whole matter was that We engaged
5l2 East Tenth street, the third house
in the white brick block on your right
rs you turn off from Locust avenue The
house would not be ready for us before
the expiration of thirty days.
In the meantime we sat down to re-
fleet, and you may rest assured that the
abstract consideration of this enterprise
was attended with no small amount of
pleasure. There were some very de-
lightful visions of the coming bliss,
some very sharp contrasts drawn
fstween our present lot and that which
gas to be, and some very astonishing
calculations. AS for the last, it might
probable expenses made out at that
time and fortunately preserved to our
sature editication. After long series
Of household belongings that should
constitute the original outlay it proceeds
with the items of ordinary daily ex-
pense Butter, so much per pound and
SO many pounds per week lard, so and
SO and so and so; potatoes, SO much per
bushel and to last so long; -four, etc.
etc. And to the grand total were added
rent, and fuel, and light, and water, and
a servants wages.
"There, you see, wife," cried I, 1--WE
.hall save annually an even $500 and
i've as people should live. Three hun
dred the first year! probably more it's
a low estimate. | think, my dear, we
might as well begin to talk about that
new piano"
"Oh. no." she replied, always pre-
ferring another's Joy to her own, mot
until the encyclopedia and the book
SAse are bought and paid for''
''Ah, yes" said l, '.that is like YOU !;
90 shall discuss that matter again.
| say that you would smile if YOU
could see that outline of probable ex-
penses; and the effect would be height
ened not little if you should contrast
with it the itemized account kept with
scrupulous care by my wife. Suffice
it to say that neither piano nor book
case was bought out of the first years
savings.
But to 90 back We had thirty DAYS
to wait before we could get possession
of the house. III the meantime NV
Uncle John paid us visit. Uncle John
was a man well advanced in years.
lived in the West. had no family, and
had the matter of his fortune comfort
ably settled. He was on his way to
Buffalo TO attend a meeting of the
stockholders of the p n. x c. Railway.
He stopped off for day to make the
acquaintance of my wife and to see
what kind of a man his nephew ha
come to be. Nothing remarkable hap
pened during his visit, and he soon re-
sumed his Journey. We told him of
our housekeeping plans, of which he
heartily approved. And in that. connec-
ton he casually remarked that as he
had not remembered us in any sub
stantial manner at the time of our mar
rage he wished to do so, if he could
find anything to suit, while he was in
the East. What he said, however, was
in such an air that at the time neither
wife nor l gave the matter a second
thought.
We furnished our house simply but
comfortably. Clara, my wife's school
mate in other DAYS, lived next door.
She is CHEEKY little body, and when it
comes to home affairs knows everv-
thing; SO we esteemed ourselves fort
innate in being able to retain her coun-
sci. She advised on the carpet-pat-
terms. the wallpaper, and even the
gas-ixtures; in short, went with us in
all our preliminary shopping. 1t is as
tonishing what a store of wisdom some
women carry about with them as to the
primary comforts and little luXuries
that make everyday life tolerable.
Yes, she knew everything and why it
was so. If there was any mistake in
her counsel it consisted in the fact that
she was inclined to estimate the con-
tents of our pocket-book by those of
her own fat one. But we succeeded in
getting through quite satisfactorily in
the first outlay. And this rather sur
prises me, as Clara was in and out con-
stantly for week, coaxing us into what
seemed extravagances, but which we
shortly learned were necessities that we
had overlooked.
And now that we were settled and
the first blush was beginning to sub
side, we received shock of surprise
such as we shall not soon forget. My
wife had left the house early in the