Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-03-12

some but somewhat bloated elderly
man with a number of rings on his
fat white fingers and a fashionable
stammer, "sOmething, in fact, like
fifteen hundred year. You know
she has not sou; expected to teach
and that sort of thing"
"They might get along on that, !"
said one of the relatives, speculative
ly. She was a member of the execu-
tive committee of Ward No., AS
sociated Charities, and knew just
what people could exist upon in Bos-
ton.
"Possibly," said some one else, "if
their wedding presents were very
handsome, with number of checks
among them
''But they don't seem disposed to
do anything decently and in order.
Aunt Catherine told me that they
talked of having no wedding at all
just getting married in some little
South End ritualistic chapel and in
viting no one. They don't seem to
know what is due to their relatives
and friends"
''That is just the point; they don't
know" piped up another voice. "See
how they behaved about their engage
ment, letting people find it out as
best they could. They did not stay
at home the day after their engage
ment leaked out, but were off on some
country excursion when callers and
flowers arrived for her."
"The engagement came out at
time of year when everybody was out
of town, and don't believe they had
a single dinner given them. 1t be-
hooves us all the more to see that the
wedding shall not be a fizzle also"
This conversation was afterwards
rehearsed to me by my cousin, of
the Associated Charities, who was Sc
cretly in league with us, as she was
interested in the theory of getting the
most out of money. When the doc
tor heard this conversation, he said
"Why not make our home three or
four hundred miles out of Boston,
where our private affairs will not be
settled by syndicate?' p
And thus, because we could think
of no place more unlike Boston than
"City of Brotherly Love-" we hit
upon Philadelphia. Neither of us
knew anything about this city, ex-
cept that it was called very hot and
unprogressive by Bostonians. But,
by dint of much investigation l found
that l had half-forgotten cousin
there, to whom wrote for some in
formation. The tone of her answer
was SO encouraging, and the invita-
ton to visit her so pressing, that /
determined to accept it, and the doc
tor was to join me in the Quaker City. |
No one knew anything of this scheme.
/ think we both expected great mo-
notony of red brick and white marble |
in Philadelphia, and were quite un-
prepared for the variety of massive |
bulldogs, the shady trees and air of
old-fashioned comfort about the broad |
double houses. Many of these had
neat side gardens of luxuriant shrub
berry, seen through the lattice gates
to extend far into the rear. The
humber streets, toO-how neat and
quiet and pretty they were! The tiny
houses, with their bright awnings,
were little models of freshness and
comfort. Truly, we had come to the
city of homes. We liked the homely
manner of living, the way the ladies
went to the markets, which were in
deed like agricultural fairs. There
was lack of rush and anxious hur-
ry, which we felt very perceptibly.
People had more time to be courteous
and human, and the little civilities of
life which we noted constantly about
us reminded US pleasantly of the fa-
therland. Philadelphia, despite its
reputation at the Hub for intellectual
stagnation, is one of the most ad-
vanced medical centers in our coun-
try, and this was to us great point
in its favor; but the homes-the dear,
cheap little homes-were its chief at
traction. When we got out into the
suburbs, so numerous and beautiful,
we fairly lost our heads over the
tempting prospects of peaceful fami-
ly life we found in them. / will not
tell you how many places we visited,
but at length they discovered very
pretty, attractive new suburb, locat-
ed on high ground, and with every
possible convenience for reaching the
heart of the city in fifteen minutes.
This place was as yet provided with
only one physician. Pretty houses
of two stories, with bathroom, and
very nicely furnished within and with
out, rented for SIS, SO and $40
month, according to location. For
S22 very nice houses with trim gar
dens, and for $25 and $28 three-story
and still nicer houses could be found.
When you reached $50 you had quite
a fine dwelling, with. electric bells
and garden. What a range this
gave We had never seen anything
like it. Here, at last, was place
where people of moderate means were
considered and had their rights and
as we'll as the very poor.
Having found that all the living ex-