The Elbert County tribune., 1905-10-12

Miss Burton? Yes, | speak for all,
and give you permission TO move from
the institute. We viii call your sal
airy five hundred dollars when you
board yourself
l walked on air, straight to Widow
Blount's, who agreed to rent me half
her tiny cottage for eight dollars a
month. drew hundred dollars from
the bank. and fitted up our little nest.
beginning with snug kitchen in the
rear, then cosy and tasteful sitting
room. where we also should dine and
have tea. and finally our spacious
room. where set up two white beds.
pretty dresser and chiffonier. a
handsome screen, and all the personal
belongings that We two had.
You might have thought our nest
cheap and bare, but never did two
prouder housekeepers take possession
OF their establishment. My hundred
dollars was gone for furnishings. and
had to draw out twenty more
when | paid for the screen and our
forget-me-not tea service. This left
cnly eighty dollars in the bank for
the rainy days that might come; but
| stoutly set out to keep house and
dress us both within my salary. and
still put aside little to educate Kitty
on. We bept no maid, only paid a
woman fifty cents for every Saturday
mornings cleaning. | did the rest of
our work, with Kitty's help. and my
part indeed was easy, with her little
feet trotting joyously after me.
The table cost us fifteen dollars a
month. We might have lived on even
less at that time in our little college
town, where gardens and orchards
abounded; but it was Kitty's growing
time, and close care and some extra
expense were required for her food.
BY much study and contrlving. |
achieved the feat of dressing myself
and my little one on a hundred dol
lars year while she was so small.
How the old dresses were refash-
ioned, cut down, each scrap saved,
everything made to do duty twice or
thrice over, 1t was not easy. for
teacher has to appear we'll at all
times; yet | found certain relish
and sweetness in the small sacrifices
and the contriying and planning.
Now. out of balance of hundred
and fifty dollars a year | had to pro-
vide for the unemployed summer
months, meet incidental expenses of
various sorts, and pay for fuel and oc-
casional doctors bills. The latter
were rare. as | naturally was strong
and exercised utmost care with my
small charge. Out of my salary the
first year after Kitty's advent l was
able to put only twenty dollars in the
bank; but | had not drawn on the
eight dollars left there before.
But with the new interest in my
life, the pleasant stimulus and the
new unselfishness. had begun to
work as never before and to my sur
prise soon found a JOY in teaching
and heights beyond me that | might
aspire to climb. When, therefore, in
our second years housekeeping VEN
ture. good fortune came to me in the
form of promotion to a higher grade
in the institute, | was elated no less
over the recognition of my better
work than over the increase of salary.
which I needed so much for Kitty.
They gave me her tuition at the in
stitute too, and she and | danced for
joy. She now was nine years cd,
and strong enough to begin her eiu-
cation. And she should have music,
she should inherit" my art We
were as happy as two princesses.
Five dollars a month of the addi-
tional ten had to go for piano now.
Kitty had her practice morning and
afternoon, and / sang often in the
evenings; but for long time | did
not sing, after my old schoolmate
wrote me from the city that John
Archibald was going to marry an
heiress there, his employers only
daughter. How can a man forget SO
easily? Well, had Kitty.
keeping was closing. thought that |
must celebrate the anniversary by
giving little supper to two of Kitty's
friends and two of mine. / was deep
in the preparations for this party the
day before our happy date, and scarce
ly noticed when the bell called Kitty
Then a curious thing happened. To
this hour nobody knows how the
child made that famous mistake of
showing the caller into our snug
kitchen instead of to the sitting room
adjoining. Perhaps 1t was that her
elation over the approaching party
had run too high, perhaps only her ex-
citement over something she OWNED
in the strangers face and manner.
At any rate, when looked up from |
my pie-pinking and frilling l found
John Archibald's good. honest eyes
fixed on me. l might leave you to
guess the rest Anyway, he had not |
married the heiress, and he had not
taken my forever to mean longer than
three years.
But I think it was Kitty that
lro,,oht mo ha ~ -of.t