The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-09-13

a rough guess"
20, about twelve Or fourteen dol
lars promptly answered the newsps-
per man, making what he thought was
low estimate.
81 spend four dollars a 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,
II 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 and
l exercise great deal each day, and
then our baby is two years old, and she
has ravenous appetite. 1 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 should purchase my supplies
from day to day. But go to market,
sometimes twice week and sometimes
once week, and buy enough to last
two or three days or a week, as the case
may be. Flour buy by the bag, and
sugar ten or twenty pounds at a 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 us a long while, yet
we do not get tired of it, because there
are dozen different ways of preparingit
for the table. Whenever l buy a roast
OF beef we have it in many different
forms l can get good roast at my
butchers for one dollar, and that will
last us three or four days. We will
have from that single piece meal OF
roast beef, meal of stewed meat with
potatoes. a platter of cold meat with
pickles, and perhaps some good beef
soup. We eat 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 great
variety of ways. Fried hominy and
sirup or rice pudding makes avery nice
dessert. BY the way, | 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 compounded rice and egg and
sugared frosting.
'sNow let me do sum in addition"
said the husband, taking out his pencil,
after the meal was over. my wife
says that we pay forty cents day for
rent, sixty cents day for provisions,
eighteen cents day for fuel and about
one cent day for oil; that makes just
one dollar and nineteen cents. Is there
anything elsep'
go, yes,' exclaimed the wife, ''there
is Kate, the washerwoman; 1 pay her
one dollar and twenty-five cents week,
which is about eighteen cents day."
"Well, that brings our necessary ex-
penses, not including Clothing, up to
$1.37 a day." continued the young
man, putting on thoughtful air. My
salary, as you say, is about 1913 day.
Last year we saved nearly $270, which
is a trihe more than seventy-three cents
day. Take that out and it leaves us
Just about 80 day to live on. We have
already accounted for S1.37. What be-
comes of the restp'
1--WE spent about $3.50 for clothing
last year." suggested the wife. "You
had that 1926 suit and your summer suit
which cost $40, and had dress and
my new cloak, which, with what the
baby had to have, and shoes and hats
for all of us brought the whole amount
up to nearly $3.50"
THAT makes about forty cents day
to be added to the $1.37, making in all
$1.7S of our So. There is twelve cents
a day or little over $43 yet to be &C,
counted for. That, l suppose we can
put down for incidentals :"
The young wife nodded her head
affirmatively, and. the newspaper man
asked, with some surprise, whether ii
was possible that the S43 would cover
a whole years expenses for two per-
sons in car-fare, amusements, lunches
in New York, etc.
49," said Mrs. R. eagerly, ''but we
don't have any such expenses. 1t is
very seldom that my husband or my
self has occasion to take street-car.
l walk to market and back; it is not
very far, and Edward always walks to
and from his place of business. His
daily expenses are just two cents-one
cent for crossing the bridge in the
morning and one cent for coming back
at night
''But it is two miles and half from
your house to the bridge" exclaimed
the newspaper man.
THAT is nothing" interposed Ed
ward. l walk it twice a day, rain or
shine, and | enjoy it, 1t is the only
physical exercise that have. 1t is but
short distance from the New York
end of the bridge TO the store, which is
in the dry-goods district, as you know.
take my lunch with me-"
Don't you ever 60 to places of
amusement?''
"Once in great while my wife and
spend money for such things, but not
very often. We cannot afford it, and
we both had much rather put the
money thus spent into books and stay
at nome and read. By the way, there
is little item we left out of-o calcu-
lation. We pay fifty cents a month for
the privilege of drawing books from a
circulating library. That takes six dol
lars out Of the forty-three dollars that
was not accounted for. Fortunately
for my wife, she had great many ac-
quairtances in Brooklyn, and she had
all of the social recreation that she had
time to take. She and l both agree,
however, that it is our duty to save at
least as much as we do. A young man
with small salary and family on his
hands runs great risk in spending all
that he earns. Suppose he should have
long fit of sickness What plight
his family would be in! They would,
in short time, become subjects for the
charity of the neighbors. Nons of that