West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-10-17


dollars for washing. makes twenty
two. - seid Kate, with bookkeeping
| prOmptneSs.
why" said Beth, beginning 10 be
eager. lots of families live on less than
that, and pay for everything out OF it
clothes and doctors bills and every
! thing"
Well, we talked till midnight, and
the more we talked the more feasible
the scheme seemed, and il was decided
that we should commence tenement
! hunting the very next morning; and
| after Beth and had gone TO our own
room. Kate came hurrying across to
say that she had some spoons and forks
which had been her mothers, and that
Nanny said she knew how TO make
lovely waillcs.
We expected tedious time finding a
rent within our means; but il is aston
lshlng how fortune helps those who try
To help themselves. That very week n
nice little scholar Of Nannie's stopped
after school to say that her parents
were going TO move out of the city.
We knew where she lived-a pleasant
house in respectable locality, so after
supper Kate and hunted up the land
lorrd, the next day we went in a BODY
TO inspect tn" place, and the bargain
was concluded.
Between that time and our departure
we oade fair To lose our reputation OF
being the quietest boarders i'm the
house, Tor every night there was talk
ing AMI laughing in one room or the
other, while we stitched and hemned
and figured this last the hardest of ALI.
Nate, with confidence born of much
10. \ 4.
twinkling. which list was perfectly sat
isfactory TO all of us until we injured
prices. One thing we were agreed upon.
and that was, rigid economy, so we
cheapcned this and left out that, until
II LOOKED quite reasonable.
Wen, the first day of December found
us in ''our owa hired house" and as
Beth turned the key in the door. we
ielt that we had burne our shps be-
hinl us.
The outgoing tenants seemed to re-
gard our experiment in the light of n
huge Joke, which they were willing to
heip along, so they gave us q number
OF housekeeping things, among others =
braided mat, and half dozen plants
all IN blossom, and sold MS their RANCE
ut very low price Those familiar
with the peculiar attributes of stoves
and stove-pipes will understand what n
rellet 1t was TO have n reliable range i'm
running order Besides this. we had a
couple of bedsteads with the furnish
ings, few dishes, our trunks. and n
half dozen packing boxes of different
sizes.
The next fortnight was busy one
we rose early and went TO bed late. and
IlVed IN picnic fashion, while we
painted, and pounded. and planned.
we were i'm state of mind where we
wished for no advice, much less helm.
from anybody outside; but after lam
ming on>iderable plaster from the
walls and skin from our knucklcs. we
ueciued there were times when n man
could be made useful. and at Nannie's
suggestion certain young architect
from tho boarding house was taken
INTO our confidence and did valiant sery-
ice IN putting up shelves and hooks.
one Friday night, with the last screw
In the kitchen clock shelf. the work
was done, and doubt if many brides.
gong into houses luxuriously appointed
W.thout care of theirs, feel half the sat
lslaction that we did in looking round
on the result of our ingenuity and hard
WORK Ana IL was right cozy little
Pi'cc' Ihere was good sized sitting
room with two sleeping rooms opening
rom It, a Kitchen adjoining, a store,
roon' closets, etc, and as the house
was on corner, we had the sun most
of the day.
Kate and Mamie painted the floor Of
their room soft gray. and covcrod tbo;r
dressing-table and wash-stand with
blue and drab chintz. The one window
was drapcd with full curtains of nm
Dleached cotton, trimmed and loope1
PACK with bands of the chintz. and n
low cushioned chair and ottoman were
covered with the same blue and drab
covering. '''
a low painted bedstead and chest Of
drawers completed their furniture. and
strips OF blue and gray Competing before
!he larger pieces took away any suspic.
ion of baroness.
Inc room Beth and / shared was pre-
cIsely similar, except that our floor was
painted bright warm brown, and our
crelohne covers and bits of Garnet were
scarlet and white. But il was nm our
common sitting-roOm that we lavished
our greatest skill The three Window
were curtained with full dranerins NJ
chcese-cloth, over cream -colored shades
pig crimson bow at the ton Of eacb
window where the draperies parted
Mamie, who was not i'm the least
aesthetic pleaded to have the whole
noor covered, but as this meant twenty
I'VE yards OF carpeting. she was voted
uoWh on Tire score of economy as well As
oil arr. wide margin was stained a
most delightful dead-leaf brown. and
nine yards of crimson and wood coIored
carpet made square largo enough 20
come wen out around the center table
ana the table-we saw il one day in
'front.' oil an auction-room. The ton
looked as though opposing forces had
fought across il, but the standard was
good and solid; so home IL went and
when 1t vas covered with Beth's old
gray shawl dyed crimson, and the
sludent-lamp SGT over the darn i'm the
middle The effect was all that could be-
desired w
Then We had Beth's piano and the
plants, and nobody knows until abo
tries it how far piano and plants 90
toward furnishing room. We had n
comfortable lounge, bought Gin the
clCth' and covered by our own hands
% big Shaker rocking chair. and two or
lnIee smaller rockers and camp-cbairs
ne wallpaper was subducd, and orr
lew pictures and bracket s made
quite a show, and when we rad scat
l'red our books and trinkets about the
room ID trun "a fnrs.I..r