Evening star., 1897-02-06

went 20 housekeeping, chimed in a third
Nellie knows nothing about housekeeping
and she is quite we'll fitted to shine in soci-
ety. L think her husband must be a selfish
prute to want to tie her down to the care
of house and baby and the wise young
matron, whose husband gets sl50O sal
ary, Inadequate by half for the style they
support, sailed off to her hired carriage
ana changed my plans and went to nav
Nellie and her new baby a long-deferra,
call TO-
L. found the Minturns in a neat HttIa
house in the northwest suburbs. b,t was
struck with the wan. worn appearance of
my once fresh-faced Nellie not all of the
su.eriils tne new lines betrayed being put
10 'he credit OF the new baby. 1 felt sure
landed the baby till it went to sIeen
.Lu TAXED and used my eyes One can't
go INTO the house of even ones best friend
ana say abruptly, They say you are mn
happy. What is the matter?" Rut 7 didn,t
heed any assurance of the fact. | could
see IL In Nellies face, and felt if in The
aItdmospnere aId a, OF the room. There was week
oid dust on the mantel scarf the lids
We're all awry. lint was visible under ~
unused Dig chairs and parlor tete-tcte and
.ne piano looked as though its soul might
have been wanting to see vou.. Neu:a
sald, after she had scratched a rI.o. nn
tpe eoCcn Wnereon to deposit the sleeninp
chlid. Il don't mind telling Won thai am
very unhappy, and 1 want some advice
tnougnt OF divorces and alimonv and
various other concomitants of unh,nny
married hfe. while Nellie was calmly cox
erins ner offspring. and secretly wondered
sha nU" .ne strl could be so composed. when
sne must feel that she was on the very
edge of abyss 'e 'etS
,,;tS VOW TINS house is a sight" Nellie said
with comprehensive wave of her bands
Eno, sue sat ooWn beside me, but do you
kho" nave not the slightest idea how to
attack 1t to reduce it to a civilized condi0
9ioh! Every time l stir things up they got
worse demoralized. 1 know that seems All
:. u; ~ capable woman like yourself but
~ is nevertheless true. You know nv
mothers house was like a bandbox. bnt
we mad servants there that were horn in
my grandfather's house and grew up can
apne. An Only girl among five brothers as
l was, doesn't have much opportunity to
iearn housekeeping, because there Is TOO
Inuch Iun going on, and my mother didn't
lke to worry with me. teaching me what
d Lapaple slrl ought to learn by instinct
as She thought. Mother died while l was in
college l married soon after graduating
ana we boarded for six months, then l.
said 1t was time to have a home of our
own. and we began buying this property
l may have made a mistake" she added
thoughtfully. and l saw tears in her tired
eyes, but 1t seems to me that married
people ought to have homes. My home
used to be so happy. when the boys were
all there. Father and mother made it at
tractiVe for our friends, and We had but
little desire to go elsewhere. l wanted a
nome like that for my own. that Fred
would like to spend his evenings in il in
stead of in the club rooms, or the smok-
ing room of a boarding house. l wanted
the hfst memory of our baby to be of a
pleasant home-do you think that l made a
mtstake" she concluded impulsively
grasping my hands. is it not better tor
young married people to have home OF
their own. to make start at once, than to
tritter away two or three years in a
boarding house,?
Womnn's View of Boarding.
Now, If there is any one thing in the
world that l have opinions on of the most
decided character, it is that boarding house
life is demoralzing to young married peo-
pie. 1t Is bad enough for those who are
old enough tc have some sense. but 1t is
worse for those who are just starting in
life. Briefly as possible, 1 assured Nellie
that she was right in theory at least
Then I waited to get at the root of the
trouble, feeling sure that she was going to
make clean breast of the whole business.
since she found me sympathetic listener.
I'm so glad to have you say that" she
returned. as she dashed her handkerchief
across her eyes, 80 very glad, because
most OF my friends have discouraged me so
about 1t. and have told Fred that 1 was
going or In looks, and asking him IL II
was housekeeper or companion he
wanted. till he gets perfectly savage over
1t. and threatens to go back to boarding
again You see. figured It all out that by
careful economy we could live within Fred's
salary. and buy our house at the same
time. When we boarded we lived the sal
ary quite up and had nothing to show for
it but-indisestion,' she added, with a
teary smile. We have the indigestion yet.
fear. but al least we are getting our home
paid for. Fred says he doesn't mind the
bad cooking or the other inconveniences
that he is too kind to say my ignorance
puts him to, but he declares that he can't
and won't endure seeing me breaking down
Now. give me good strong dose of ad-
vice.
Have you no servant?' 1 asked, hestat-