The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-10-22
who was born south of Mason's and Dix


the last question first "and as for the
furnishing, that needn't cost so very
much; and about the bills-Kate, how
much do we all pay week7"
-Four times five is twenty, and two
dollars for washing makes twenty-five"
said Kate, with bookkeeper promptness.
"Why," said Beth, beginning to 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 it was decided that
we should commence tenement-hunting
the very next morning; and after Beth
and l had gone to our own room, Kate
came hurrying across to say she had
some spoons and forks which had been
her mothers, and that Mamie said she
knew how to make lovely waffles.
We expected tedious time finding a
rent within our means; but it is aston
ishing how fortune helps those who try
| to help themselves. That very week
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 a respectable locality; so after
supper Kate and hunted up the land
lord, the next day we went in body
to inspect the place, and the bargain was
concluded.
Between that time and our departure
we bade fair to lose our reputation of
being the quietest boarders in the house,
| inghf fo1
laughing in one room or the other, while
we stitched and hemmed and figured
this last the hardest of all.
| Kate, with confidence born of much
handling of money made out list in a
twinkling, which list was perfectly sat-
isfactory to all of us--until we inquired
prices. One thing we were agreed upon,
and that was, rigid economy, so we
cheapened this and left out that, until it
looked quite reasonable.
Well, the first day of December found
us in "our own hired house, and as Beth
turned the key in the hall door, we felt
that we had burned our ships behind us.
The outgoing tenants seemed to regard
our experiment in the light of a huge
joke, which they were willing to help
along, so they gave us number of house
keeping things, among Others a braided
mat, and half-dozen plants all in bios
som, and sold us their range at a very
low price. Beside this, we had couple
OF bedsteads with the furnishings, q few
dishes, our trunks, and half-dozen
packing boxes of different sizes.
The next fortnight was busy one. We
rose early and went to bed late, and lived
in picnic fashion, while we painted and
pounded, and planned. We were in
state of mind where we wished for no
advice, much less help, from anybody
outside; but after jammlng considerable
plaster from the walls, and skin from our
knuckles, we decided there were times
when a man could be made useful, and
at Nannie's suggestion a certain young
architect from the boarding house was
taken into our confidence, and did val
liant service in putting up shelves and
hooks.
One Friday night, with the last screw
in the kitchen clockfshelf, the work was
done, and doubt if many brides, going
into houses luxuriantly appointed with
out care of theirs, feel half the satisfac-
tion that we did in looking round on the
result of our ingenuity and hardwork.
And it was a light cosy little place. There
was good-sized sitting-room with two
sleeping-roons opening from it, kitchen
adjoining, store-room, 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 covered their
dressing-table and wash-stand with blue
and drab chintz. The one window was
draped with full curtains of unbleached
cotton, trimmed and looped back, with
bands of the chintz, and 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 carpeting before
the larger pieces took away any suspicion
of baroness.
The room Beth and shared was pre-
cisely similar, except that our floor was
painted bright warm brown, and our
cretonne covers and bits of carpet were
scarlet and white. But it was on our
common sittingroom that we lavished
our greatest skill. The three windows
were curtained with full draperies of
cheese-cloth, over cream colored shades,
a big crimson bow at the top of each
window where the drapenes parted.
Mamie, who was not in the least aes-
thetic, pleaded to have the whole floor
covered, but as this meant twenty five
yards of carpeting, she was voted down
on the score of economy as we'll as of art.
A wide margin was stained a
most delightful dead-leaf brown, and
nine yards of crimson and wood
colored carpet made a square large
enough to come well out around the cen
ter table. And the table-we saw it one
day in front of an auctiOn-room. The
top looked as though opposing forces had
fought across it, but the standard was
good and solid; so home it went, and
when it was covered with Beth's old
gray shawl dyed crimson, and the
studeDt-lamp set over the darn in the
middle, the effect was all that could be
| l.