The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-20
Living on Twelve Dollars Week
One Farny that
thatIno waxed Pro.per

just as well go to market. On market days
I'd give him list of things to get-things
that couldn't get at the little shops close
by, or that / knew were much cheaper at
the market, and he always remembered
to get them"
The visitor asked some questions. as deli
cately she could. to the bill of fare.
1t was quite evident that there was no
sense of privation or of painful economy
connected with 1t.
Germans live a great deal on soups,
you know said Mrs. Smith. MY mother
used to say she thought Germans fed the
children too much on soup. They have to
eat such a quantity of soup 10 get enough
food to satisfy them that 1t makes them
high-stomached. One could get a ham end
for almost nothing in those days, boil 1t
for dinner; some Vegetables or some bar
ley boiled with it would make the soup,
and there was your dinner
/ Did you have a garden on your vacant
lNots?"
mo, We never made any garden. Mr..
Smiths time was too valuable for building
houses to use in that way and L couldn't
do 1t. had my hands full without that.
Did you keep chickens?
mo, there was a nice pond on one of
, our lots and we tried keeping ducks.
but we didn't make any profit on that
said Mr.. Smith; didn't any more than
come out even.''
"But this is not tie house you built at
first?'' asked the visitor. glancing around
the pleasant rooms.
mo, we built this later-built it so that
it could be changed into a double house
when L could spare money for the ma
terials and time for the labor said Mr.
Smith 1--WE built kitchen and back
porch pinto each side since began living
in ii, and now we rent the other side"
YES" said his wife, 81 don't seem to
feel comfortable in any other way-its so
convenient to have a little money coming
in. right from your residence, for little
extra expenses"
1--WE always kept on buying lots and
building houses as / saw opportunity"
went on Mr.. Smith. Il have a piece Of
land over here now that l shall put a couple
| or lew houses on next year I've been
| digging the bitches for the sewer connec-
lions in the time after supper this last
| summer.
| children were SMALL" said Mrs. Smith, II
| could go down town and buy pretty rem
nant to make one of the little girls dress.
| make It myself. and the whole expense,
| lining, trimming, buttons and all, would
| come within ~. Now, you know, that sum
| wouldn't be enough for good materials.
| Sometimes / could make things over for
| them when they were little-make pants
| for the boys out of their fathers old ones,
for instance-but never did that very
| much"
The irquirer perceived that in the mat
| ter of ingenious economies in dress she
| had nothing to learn from Mrs Smith.
Il suppose you must have always man.
/ aged to do all your own work." she said
washing
But when you had young baby-did
stay with you them
Sometimes. and sometimes / had a
| nurse"
I'VE hadn't lived out here very many
years before we got church of our own, .
said Mr.. Smith, and place for the chill
dren to go TO Sunday school. Later. we
| built the big church We have now"
| This meant, OF course, church Of their
own denomination. built by the efforts and
sacrifices OF all the people of that persua-
| sion In the neighborhood-the I'VE" of his
| expression stood for the congregation.
| Speaking OF a garden" remarked Mrs
| Smith, there are the Jones's on the next
! street. They used always to have a big
! garden and keep chickens and even pigs.
| They raised the principal part of their liv-
| ing But the old people are dead now and
| / don't suppose their daughters would re-
| member very much about it-or would
want to tell it. IL they did,
1t was evident that these people had found
| their life happy one: they had not en-
| ly never felt poor. but only economical; and
| they had always had the great delight OF
| feeling successful. They were always gain.
/ ing. always getting ahead and was not
| this glory, excitement and pleasure enough
When the investigator told her friends
| what she had learned. one exclaimed:
well should think that woman would
have gone crazy. just staying shut up with
her babies for many years"
But" answered the first speaker. "hei
seclusion was more apparent than real for
she had plenty of relatives living near her
People who have the satisfaction of con-
genial own folks at hand do not suffer