Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-01-13

DV no means a. 'C6UCn' I'D U00 nlaUf1-
monial market, she never allowed me
to perceive that fact. On the con-
trary, at the end of this financial dis
cussion, she thoroughly made me feel
that was not so bad off after all, and
that I ought to be thankful things
were as they were. So | felt no further
qualms in engaging myself to her, and
we fixed very early date for our
marriage. Sissie-that is my wife-in
ne meantime kept her eyes open and
was in all the furniture stores in the
city looking about her, and making
wonderful calculations. At night, when
[ was at the house she would frequent
ly drop her knitting, seize q piece of
paper and jot down something, subse-
quently folding the paper and putting
it into her pocket.
"'Well,' she said on one of these oc-
casions, would you be satisfied to
commence housekeeping, in q very
moderate manner-not at all uncom-
| Portable, but rather cheap?'
Housekeeping! | had thought Of
| boarding with my wife. How could
we keep house on $40 a week? Sis
sie,' [ said, / am afraid you don't
understand the value of money.
Don't you know that a decent fat
costs $45 a month, furniture at the
very least $500, and food something
enormous?'
''No, Sissie knew nothing Of the kind.
She said was foolish, like most men,
imagined that housekeeping involved
the expenditure of a fortune, and for
| the sake of a little trouble at the be-
ginning preferred to indulge in the
slovenly habit, gaining so much
ground In America, popularity known
as boarding That is what Sissie
said, but | still thought that she was
rather Utopian in her ideas.
"'Draw your $65 from the savings
bank tomorrow morning, WILL she
said calmly, and call for me at II
O'Clock. We Will then settle every
thing, and you will see that house
keeping Is more than possible with
your salary, and that every married
man with $40 week who boards is a
goosep
81 SUI 0mitted. / drew my money
from the bank the next day, and
an hour afterwards Sissie and [ were
walking through the streets each wear
ing a resolute expression, occasionally
tempered by a somewhat tlmid glance
at the big stores and the crowds of
wealthy shoppers. Well, Sissie first of
all took me to little street in the
Ninth Ward, in the vicinity of West
Tenth Street, and there, in a delight
full looking house, with all the appear
ance of comfort and dignifed seclusion,
we found a small apartment, consist
ing of three rooms, for the sum of SIS
mouth, or, as Sissie explained-in
order to bring the proposition of the
house rent within the comprehension
of my salary, 1915 week.
"'It is awfully empty l suggested,
discontentedly. as our feet battered
along the uncarpeted floors, and our
voices sounded strangely powerful in
the bare, square enclosure.
"'You've got $65, think she said,
as though that settled the matter. I
was led in wonderful state of sur
prise from the house after Sissie had
informed the proprietor that we should
occupy the apartment in months
time Slssle was remarkable girl. I
can't understand how she did it, but
she actually contrived to persuade the
crabby old proprietor to allow us to
send In our furniture as we bought it,
even If we sent in some on that very
day. That was virtually giving us one
months lodging for nothing Don't
take that as a precedent" said the
plump young man hastily to his impe-
cunious friend. fIt isn't one. Sissie
was altogether extraordinary; she was
extremely pretty, and it is an acknowl-
edged fact that pretty girls can do any
thing they like with crabby old men.
Well, as l said, [ was led from the
house, and we walked over to the East
Side. handed the $65 to Sissie, per-
fectly satisfied by this time that the
money was infinitely better in her care
than in mine. And now let me give
you list of the purchases we made on
that and the three following DAYS.
They were numerous, but as you will
see, to the point. Don't think that
any OF the prices | mention are at all
out OF the common. They are not.
They can be duplicated any day, if you
only know where to duplicate them.
We first OF all bought an imitation
walnut bedsteadf for So. Tt was by no
means Handsome article of furniture,
but we were sufficiently handsome our
selves to supply the deficiency. A
mattress took another So; a spring,
81; a washstand, So; a dining table,
So so; kitchen table, 80; a bu-
reau, ST; six chairs, So; a. couple of
pillows, $3.50; a sitting room table,
$3.50. A handsome rug, quite large
enough for our sitting-room, was pur-
chased for SO. This was $33 worth of
goods, in cold cash. A gasoline stove,
with several little accessories in the
way of utensils stood us in So; a. kitch.
en- safe, $3.50; g. set of China-not
Dresden, nor Sevres, but good service
able everyday articles-$5; a toilet
set, $3.50; silver-plated teaspoons,
$3.50; knives and forks, $1.75, and a
wardrobe, $3.50. This completed our
purchases. Sum expended, $62.75;
balance in hand, 1925. With that we
bought various sundries. A month
from that day, my dear fellows, we
moved into our apartment as man
and wife"
"What pluck" said theimpecunious
n, inI,