The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-04-29

| been spent on her education, musical
and otherwise, and there are such great
possibilities in Washington society for a
pretty and accomplished girl that she
simply must have chance. Therefore
it is decided the family must board at q
fashionable place. On inquiry they de-
eide that the Argo or some such hotel is
the place. Yes, the landlord can take
elegant care of them. He has Just the
suite they want. Plenty of room, good
light, elegantly furnished, bath of course
and all the comforts. The price? "Let
me see. Three adults, two large chill
dren, one child, maid. You want a
suite of four rooms, with board. Six
hundred dollars month" sThat seems
very reasonable" says the new official,
"and we'll think about it. We want to
look a little further" AS parting shot
the landlord offers to come down to $3.50.
but this doesn't tempt into an immedi-
ate acceptance. When he gets outside,
the official heaves sigh and says to his
wife: ''Does he take mefor millionaire?
Our salary is only $685. 33 a month. They
| might leave us dollar or two for can
| fare
| Less pretentious and cheaper places
are sought. Prices range from $500 a
month down to $500. Even this will not
| do for obvious reasons, and finally the
new official and his wife take rooms in
| what is known as common boarding
house-a good and comfortable enough
place, but not stylish or fashionable at
all and almost a deathblow to the social
ambitions of its occupants-and pay
| therefor 5000 amonth. Neither the rooms
nor the fare is what they wanted. The
family miss many of the comforts of life
to which they had been accustomed in
their own home. They are thrown into
the society of people they don't care to
meet, but must be polite in order to
avoid trouble. The children have no
| yard to play in. The parlors are stuffy
and frequented by firty, i'll hammered
| persons OF both sexes, and the father and
mother chafe amid such surroundings
for their eldest daughter and the other
| children.
The dream Of social conquest in Wash
ington, even Of social enjoyment, is
rudely dispelled Faded are the visions
| OF fine establishment q carriage and
| pair, a pony for the children, of hand
some gowns and many admirers for the
| eldest daughter. When the comforts of
life are hard to get, it is time to stop
talking about the luxuries. Pinch and
scrape and manage as they will, the off
cial and his wife find it impossible to
make both ends1mee The hundred and
odd dollars per month left out Of the
salary affords little latitude for dress,
doctors bills, amusements and the thou
sand and one expenses of family. A
carriage ride would mean bankruptcy
for the week. Mother and father wear
lb,all their old Clothes. The new Off
cial gives up smoking and very rarely
takes a drink. He declines invitations
to join club or two and avoids the So
ciety of the very men whose acquaint-
ance he had expected to cultivate, be-
cause he realizes he cannot go at their
pace financially.
| After few months of this sort of life,
in which they run behind week after
week and find it necessary to draw on
! the little income they have from their
property or business at home, the family
bundles up and goes back to the little
country town to make as good face Of
| it as they can before the inquisitive
neighbors. They are in love with Wash
ington, of course, and have had per-
fectly lovely time and enjoyed the society
| SO much, with emphasis on the 49," but
the children need the school at home, and
the climate did not agree with Arabella.
They will go back in the fall when
Washington is lively again. When fall
comes, Arabella goes back to stay for
time with her father, but the other mem
bers of the family remain at home and
economic in order to give Arabella
show.
| And how does the husband and father,
the new official, fare all this time? Not
very well. 1t is hard to be cut off from
the society of his family. He has never
tried that before and doesn't like it. He
wants the boys, and the baby, and the
mother by his side. Besides, the work is
anything but fascinating. Not too hard,
| it is humdrum and routine. It calls for
no enthusiasm; it presents no stimulus
for energy or ambition. He soon realizes
he is mere part, and small part at
that, Of great machine. In the town
whence he came he is looked up to as
man of some Importance, and the folks
at home take genuine satisfaction in the
envy of their neighbors- this lisa lit
| tie consolation-but in Washington the
new official quickly perceives he is very
small potatoes and not many to the hill,
and this hurts his pride.
He hasnot saved cent out of what al
| first seemed to be such splendid salary.
On the contrary, he has incurred large
| debt To tide over he sold the house or
| other property at home and must now
face the world practically where he
faced it when he was young man. He
must begin life over again. He has lost
his law practice or his business at home.
In many ways he has lost status. Com
| petition is keen in this world, and the
man who steps aside from given field
even for four years need not expect to
pa&7 OH II, 80 !,