The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-13
ONLY FIFTEEN A WEEK.
That Was Rumsey's Salary and His
Bare Living Cost Him
Eighteen.
The Vile of q Boarding House
Manager Led Him Into
Extravagance.
Rude Awakening From His Dream of
Opulence-Now Without u Single
Change Of Linen.

II required no very intricate mathemati-
cal computation on Rumsey's part to show
him conclusively that he must move, says
a student in the New York Evening Sun.
His salary was $15 a dollars a week and his
bare living expenses $1s. He must either
cut down his little personal expenses Or
change to a cheaper boarding place.
He thought seriously several times of
giving up cigars and combining himself to a
pipe, and Of walking to his Office every
morning. and of spending the money for
his lunches. But he didn't have the moral
courage to put these good resolutions into
practice. The only thing left to do was to
move.
So one morning he looked carefully
through the advertisements in the papers.
After searching through the countless num-
bers OF those pithy announcements and an
swering two or three, to find them not at
all to his taste, he hit upon the happy idea
of himself advertising. After a couple of
hours hard work over the wording of his
paragraph he evolved this:
WANTkD-BY A SINGLE YOUNG MAN, A
w room in a boarding house: no children or
bad habits.
He was we'll satisfied with this. He had
given himself q good character, and that
would recommend him to the best class of
landladies.
Among the first of the enormous pack Of
letters he received the second day later after
his advertisement appeared was this:
The young gent can find just what he
wants by inquiring at No. -, --- street.
1 have a large, weil-lighted room with flow
ing hot and cold water, gas. fuel, ETC., on
third floor; every convenience. Please
call. MRS. -,
He marked this as good. and had deter
mined to look it up the next day, when this
met his eye down in the corner:
7. S.-Pull Gallagher's bell.
He set it aside for further reference.
During the reading of the first fifty an
swers he came across many which seemed
to be just the thing. But the more he read
the better ones he would find. After read
ing a hundred he had become decidedly
aristocratic in his taste. lie found that for
$40 he could get very comfortable quarters
indeed. Nothing would suit him now but
something quite elegant.
When he had gone through the entire
pack he selected this as the most desirable:
Dear Sir: ! have q beautifully appointed |
ROOM with every possible convenience.
Furniture. tapestry, etc.: almost oriental in
style and elegance. Walls and ceilings
g%orgeously frescoed in white and gold.
Colored attendants in livery, elevator, and
messenger call in the house. Price. with
board. $40.
That would be $40 q week, he thought.
He could afford that much certainly. espe-
cially under such magnificent circum-
stances. II struck him as rather queer
that such a place couln be had for $40 a
week, but then perhaps the landlady |
hadn't had much experience in keeping I
boardsrs.
When he went to inspect the place be
found everything as the advertisement had
stated. 1t was even more grand, if that |
were possible. So he moved his traps in
without delay.
At the end Of the week bs was 80
we'll pleased that he invited some friends
around to see him and envy him his good
fortune.
At the end of Two weeks he gave a Welsh
rabbit party to a number of his young
woman friends. They said everything was
just lovely. And SO or for a month Rumsey
lived like a god on Olympus. The colored
attendance in livery, the elevator, the mes
senger call IN the house, and, above all, the
frescoed walls and ceilings were just to his
taste. What more could a mar want? And
all for $40 a week.
For just one month Rumsey enjoyed his
oriental luxury. On the first morning of
the month following he found a note on his
plate at the table. He opened it and read
this:
Mr., Rumsey to Mrs.. Smithers, DR..
10 four weeks board, at $40 per week .... ;. S1GO
Received payment.
Rumsey is now boarding in jersey CITY,
He hopes to save enough in a couple of
months to get his trunk back. But at pres
ent he has no change of linen.