The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-12-05
THEY ESCAPED.
A Bold and Happy Stop From
City TO Country.

After John Carroll and Hetta Forsythe
had been married six blissful months, they
awoke one gloomy day in New York
boarding hOuse to the common realities of
life, and discovered chat they needed money
to pay their board. Both were young, and
they had married for love without con
sidering much the problem of ways and
means. John was book-keeper in a down
town mercantile house, where he conf
IDENTIFY expected to rise rapidly, as a matter
of course, and be taken into the firm in
few years But when he had been married
six months the house-with an obstinate
disregard Of all his suddenly
failed and left him without employment.
Consequently something-he did not know
exactly what-would have to be done, and
without delay.
Il wish l had a hundred dollars" he said,
thOughtfuly.
"And wish knew how to get it for YOU
dear" Hetta answered.
In the evening they went out to walk on
one of the busy, crowded avenues stopping
every few minutes to look into the attract
i've store windows. Hetta thought of sew
eral ways they might manage, if they only
had little money. She wished for some
furniture to set up housekeeping; they
could get on that way 50 much cheaper than
they could boarding. She pressed Johns
arm while they stood in front of furniture
store, and asked him if it would not be nice
to have few rooms all TO themselves, fur
nished with their own furniture. Next
they came to a picture store, where there
was displayed in the windows large oil
painting of an ideal country village, with
great, shady elms in the middle of the wide
street, a pond with lilly pads and a pic
turesque old mill near at hand, farm-houses
half hidden under roses and ivy here and
there III the backgrounds picture that
suggested quiet and peace. Hetta wished
they could get out of the city altogether,
and find some such pleasant place in the
country. 1t was coming on summer, and
she knew, she said, that it would be horrid
to be shut up in one room in a crowded
boarding house all through dog-days. And,
after all, what pleasure could people have
in the city at any time, if they had no
money? But John reminded her that it
cost money to live in the country as well as
in the city, and just then, six dollars
and eighty-Seven cents was the sum total of
all his capital. He wanted a hundred dol
lars to pay their board while he continued
the search for employment.
The next day they moved their two trunks
all their prOperty-from Mrs. Bolivar's
genteel hOarding-house, where they had
spent the happiest months of their lives, to
a lodging house in a less pretentiOus locality
four or five blocks down the street. Nobody
Ill tlt uuuNt hlitN Nutlt lLlt young couple
had come from, and nobody knew where
they were going; but everybody was sure
that he was too young to have a wife and
that she was quite too girlish to be married
1t was believed that they had run away
from somewhere and got married regard
less of consequences. Hetta saw Mrs. Boil
war and one Of the female boarders watch
ing them through the upper-story blinds as
they walked away, and she believed she
knew just what they were saying. But she
frightened her hold on Johns arm and held
her head up proudly
Il shall do something TO help you, DEAR
she whispered as they went on 1--WE can
manage somehow
We're all right as long as my six dollars
and eighty-seven cents LAST John an
swered making an effort to smile.
The lodging-house was crowded, and they
had taken one of the smallest and cheapest
rooms on the top floor. 1t had to be paid
for in advance, which diminished their cap
ital to four dollars and thirty-six cents.
They meant to live on this a week at the
small restaurants and bakeries in the vicin-
ity But the four dollars only lasted six
DAYS the best they could do, and they went
hungry much of the time. John answered
advertisements and searched high and low
for employment without success. Every
morning he Oitered in the counting room
of the Herdid one Of the large number to
be seen there any day, waiting to scan the
columns of wants without purchasing a
paper. The rest Of the day he walked about,
upstairs and down, in offices and stores,
sSling f." a place There was nothing,