Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-24
NECESSITY FOUND THE WAY
Rsstful Summer Vacation Accomplished on
Five Dollars q Month.
DEVICES OF BUSINESS WOMEN
Experience that May he Followed
BY These In Need of = Pro-
tracted Rest with Little
Money to Take it On.

The summer outing Of the average work.
ing woman is rarely a time that she re-
member with pleasure. In nine cases out
Of ten the two or three weeks which con-
stitute the vacation must be spent In coun-
try boarding houses too crowded for com
fort. Saturday afternoon brings out even
more perspiring humanity to add Its noisy
quota toward the further undoing Of sensi-
tive nerves, and when the brief sojourn in
Arcadia is over the woman in search OF
rest wonders why she had not thought Of
spending her vacation in town.
But one young woman has solved the
problem of how to get a quiet and pleas
ureable summer outing on next TO nothing.
To her sister who is in need of a pr~otracted
rest and who is wondering where the
money for 1t will come from, her expert
enoes will prove extremely interesting.
As the young woman In question had
brought on complicated eye trouble by her
work. a long country rest was at last ad-
vised. hearing which diotum, she at once
made out in her mind the following memo
randum Of her resources:
Cash on hand: $50.
Drawbacks to summer board: Expense,
voices, pianos.
NAo W fhosAAe NobAAooh SiASocs SohA
age, cooking, washing, gardening.
Available amusements: Walking, boating,
fishing.
80 bet It," said the young woman, who
already felt a delicious interest in the no.
ton, II shall play Robinson Crusoe."
An Outing In an Attic.
The next thing was to nnd a desert
island. and this, in the shape of three attic
rooms in a long-closed farm house, was
soon appropriated.
This came about in the most accidental
way. Somebody suggesting an interior
county as an excellent place for the scheme
Of ISOLATION and Independence, the young
woman took the hint and a train, and In a
little over an hours time was set out at a
little town. Here. for the sum Of $50, a
man in top boots agreed to put himself
and his blackboard at her service for a
tour of the country. He told of the quiet
OF Cross river, a sort of deserted village
from which sleeping hamlet everybody
who had not died had moved away to be
nearer the railroad. The cheap possibilities
Of the place striking home, a drive of
four miles brought them to the haven.
In the deep shade of superb old trees sat
a long gray house, billed to rent, which
the exile at once settled upon as her abode.
An old farmer, who came up the hill to
do the talking, informed the woman that
the rent was IS a month But the goods
OF one John D%onoghue had Uttered the
best of the twelve rooms for a year.; so
Until he could consult a lawyer as to their
renovation John had flown in the night
| with his portable riches-she must be con-
tent with the three attic rooms which
overlooked the valley. For these the rent
would be 81 a month. though this exorbi-
tant sum included a garden patch" a
| spring Of fine" water and all the fire
wood" that the tenant wished to pick UP.
Presently the old man seemed to place
| the eccentric newcomer.
BE we one o. them artists foIks7" he
asked.
She nodded.
All was plain sailing after this, for the
man now became as anxious to keep the
windfall as he had been a moment before
to send it away.
How the Attic Was Furnished.
He had known an "artist lady, once be-
fore, and all the cookies of his heart
warmed to the clan. There was no end to
his favors. Hearing that there was only
a trunk to be moved from the railroad
station, he guessed tina the stranger
might use any OF the absconding Donog-
hue's furniture and not send for her own.
Then there was a nice tick down at the
shop that, filled with new hay, would make
a fine mattress for her; and II she liked
them things"-brown bean jugs, an old
chest painted black, and a cracked willow
| dish, weeded from Johns htter-there was,
| too, at the shop a pile of "Junks" she might
pick over. He began to wonder. even, If he
had not charged too much rent for the
| attic chambers.
The 'junks'' OF the shop surpassed the
young woman's widest hopes. The Dom
| oghue household goods had been of a sort
to set the teeth on edge. but here, covered
with dust. and scratched and broken, were
antique bits of purest beauty.
She remembered to have heard that the
region in question was famous for its an
cient furniture, and warned the landlord
that the pieces he was willing to sell for
SO little would bring much higher prices
in the city.
He set the point aside. The city was
fur away, and ten years ago many OF
the things had been left with him to sell
at these prices. Under such argument the
listener felt her scrupies fade; and for
twenty shilIings' a w~ide-topped, thin
legged Chippendale sideboard became hers.
A radiant old blue quit, hand-woven and
with ''Prudence" In the corners-the name
| OF the AOnH-ucou pAhACA ~ N[PSs
and a low chest OF drawers with carved
fest for s..
Certain quaint, high-baeked chairs the
old man would not sell from sheer sentl-
ment. He had begun married life with
them hfty-hve years before. and had thrown
them aside for newer fashions. They really
were not worth anything. but. since they
pleased the ''city lady" she was welcome
to the loan Of them.
In a cedar chest were linen sheets. some
entirely whole, though spotted with time.
likewise spun by tho departed Prudence.
The young woman yearned for the sheets.
These. however were beyond price. They
would fall Ito holes in the washing. the
old man argued. But since the newcomer
handled the coarse meshes tenderly. a loan
OF four was thrust upon her.
with this courtesy he hauled forth a
spindling wooden settee as a present. TO
ease his conscience for all the money he
| had faEen from her