The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-08
SETTLERS IN OLD BOXES

N CHICAGo.-"why pay rent, own
 " your own home" had d queer O illustration in the discovery by the building department architectural en- gineer of colony of home seekers on the outskirts of the city.
 A complaint had reached Commissioner Bartzen that a religious colony had cs- tablished itself in a city of dry goods boxes at Western avenue and Sixty-ninth street. It was while on a mission to dis lodge these pilgrims that Engineer Cor dell ran on to the home seekers. The religious colony,'' however proved a myth.
 At Western avenue and Sixty-ninth street and prairie stretches far out on the misty world. It is dreary plain of rank grass, reaching toward the horizon line. In the hay distance stand long lines of vague freight cars, magnifed in the gloom, and looking like the ghosts of old-fashioned prairie schooners.
 A group of strange and uncouth houses rise like hummocks on the prairie. These are the houses of the new pioneers" built by themselves, fashioned by their own hands and made of broken dry goods boxes and freight cars.
 One of these sheds. a motley affair, is constructed of old cars. The white paint ed letters, the words arranged in odd juxtaposition, evolve themselves into fam tastic diagrams and marvellous legends.
 The freight car house will be preten- tious when completed. The owner is erect ing piazza and Q bay window, and he surveys his handiwork with pride. His name is H. G. Muir
 'I built that house last Sunday" he said. q built that chicken yard and that dog house. Wait till I get a coat of paint on 1t and 1t will look all right. hauled the lumber myself, and the entire house didn't cost me cent. I didn't even buy the nails.
 You see that tent wonder? That's our club--the Prairie Pleasure club. We have some good times there, and we meet our neghbors for mutual improvement. A pretty smart lot of people around here all built their own houses" At the next barrier three tow-headed children were playing "boat." They had rigged up an abandoned hencoop, and by the necromancy of imagination had trans- formed it Into a gallant craft, The chill dren were bubbling over with fun and were in robust health. The pioneer life evidently agreed with them. Three goats stood by-which was rather strange, considering that the henyard was a sea-and chewed their cuds. A woman nursing a babe sat in the doorway of the shack. On the mail box beside the door one could read the name Joseph McMahon.''
 We're just getting settled,'' explained Mrs. McMahon. We're doing the best we can out here. Just step inside. Here is our kitchen; here's our dining room; this is our parlor, and here's the sitting room Only one room, you say? We'll. if you choose to call it four rooms what's the difference?"
 It certainly was cozy house, lined snugly with tar paper and with the chInks carefully stuffed with rags. Pictures hung on the walls The kettle was sing itself in the window.
 The house next door. that of A. Mur- phy. was the most elaborate of the group. It was the only one that boasted of a peaked roof. Mrs. A. Murphy, hammer in hand, was busy driving in nails.
 Don't I make a fine carpenter?" she said. Don't you believe that woman can't hit nail on the head. built this house myself and drew the plans. My husband helped me last Sunday, and when he comes home from work tonight he is going to climb up and tack on the shin