New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-02-24
THE HUNTERS HOLIDAY.

AAAA IL ~ ~ IL
The Trials and Tribulations of Chicago
West Side Woman Who Determined to
Have alone of Her Own, and How She
Had Her Own Way.
Some years ago Henry Hunter was
bookkeeper for Lake street firm.
And SO he is still. Years ago his salary
was twenty dollars aweek It is lust
the same now. In fact for twelve years
Henry Hunter has sat at the same
desk, kept the same set of books, and
drawn the same compensation for his
services. Ten years ago he was mar
ried, and the few hundred dollars he
had saved was spent for household
goods. He and his wife rented $25
house on the West Side, and, of course
lived up to their income. The wife
dressed fairly we'll and so did he.
They of course, went to the theatre,
and Henry smoked cigars, and oc-
casionally took drink. Two years
sped by and they were happy and had
one child and plenty Of hope for the
future, but no money. AT times, in
fact, they were a little in debt to the
grocer and the butcher.
Then Mrs. Hunter began to talk
about getting a home of her own. She
seemed to set her heart on it, and Hen
ry talked about it, just to humor her.
But he had no more hope of getting a
home Of his own than he had of flying
off to the moon to look for gold.
That is, not for many years to come.
He was willing enough, even anxious,
but his familiarity with figures and
finances. was sufficient to show him
the great gulf there is between a mod
crate salary and q homestead. But
Mrs. Hunter continued to talk of the
home she hoped to occupy. Woman
like, she had yearned, and, woman
like she refused to be comforted by
talk OF what would happen in the far
away future.
One evening Henry came home from
his work, and, after tea, settled down
with his slippers, his paper and his
pipe. Mrs. Hunter had been unusually
reticent during the meal, as woman
always is when she has something of
unusual Importance on her mind and
the inevitable accompanying desire to
talk about it. So Mrs. Hunter bided
her time until the tea was fnishedand
the dishes cleared away and then she
began:
Now, Henry, I want to talk to
you seriously"
He reluctantly removed the paper
from his eyes, and took the big pipe
from his mouth.
Mrs. Hunter went on, animatedly,
"and what do you think? They are
buying a home OF their own Mr..
Smiths salary is only SIS, but they
say he can easily pay for it.
'sSo?" replied Henry, with grunt,
and resuming his paper.
"Yes,'' his wife kept on, sand 1
don't see why we can't do the same
thing. Your salary is 50 week more,
and knowI- am quite as economic
cal-or, at least, can be-as Mrs.
Smith"
"We'll see about it next year," said
Henry YEARLY; "maybe I'll get a raise
in my salary"
And then he resumed his paper, and
pulled vigorously at his cooling pipe.
"But / don't want to wait, persist
ed Mrs. Hunter, I'm tired hearing
about the increase in salary which
never comes, and I'm tired Of paying
rent and fighting with the landlord
about repairs, too. Ii the Smiths can
get a home of their own / don't see
why We cam t.
''And how on earth?" queried the
man with the pipe, "do you suppose
the Smiths are going to live and pay
Tor a house on SIS q week."
:sWhy, they are in q building asso-
citation. and they pay so much a week,
and that pays for the home in eight
years"
"And what is a building associa-
:tion?''
Ell don't know, but Til run over
in the morning and ask Mrs. Smith,
replied Mrs. Hunter, little abashed.
'tI'll. tell you what it is" said. the
lord of the rented house with that
air of superiority which the best of
husbands put on at times, 'sit's q
scheme by which financiering fanatics
think they can get something for moth
ing, by which they can pull themselves
up by their boot straps, as it were.
You don't catch me in any of those