| Show HOW THEY DID IT I Theory and Practice in Housekeeping House-keeping LIVING ON TWENTY A WEEK The Climax Came at the End of tho Year AVhen SoniPthins not Previously Considered Con-sidered Happened Home to Papa Johnson was only twentythreo years old was earning but 2U a week nevertheless ho had made up his mind to get married His friends told him it Was absurd that he could not do it It would be cruel they said to take a young woman out of a comfortable com-fortable home where she bad been used to having everything she wanted and everything every-thing her own way and make her share 20 a week with a man who could barely get along on that amount himself To all this advice Johnson replied that he guessed ho knew what he was about He had studied the matter over carefully and knew itcould be done He had been engaged en-gaged to Nellie for a whole year He was in love with her and lie knew she was dead in love with him for she had told him so lots of times Ho could not fool around waiting to got enough money to suit his friends ideas before getting married It had been bad enough waiting a year Moreover he had read an article in the paper where it was all laid down in black and white just how a young couple without with-out extravagant tastes could live comfortably comfort-ably even luxuriously it seemed to hlmon 20 a week So in spite of the advice of his friends ho married Ho had saved up 100 by dint of staying in nights for the past yearwhat ho thought would be enough to take a short wedding trip with But the day before tho wedding ho was informed by his employers employ-ers that they were very sorry but as it was the busiest time of the year they would require re-quire his strict attendance to business and the best they could do for him was to give him a day off So Tohnson and his bride spent the day on a trip to Harlem hunting for a boarding place where they could live for 13 a week for according to the printed slip which he had carefully cut out this was the most which could be used for board if expenses were to be kept within tho S0 VIEWING THE PALISADES AT THIRTEEN DOLLARS DOL-LARS A WEEK After a long and tiresome search during which he discovered that everything at all of his liking averaged about tbrc times as much as bro could afford they finally de cided on a place on One Hundred and Fifty fifth street where as the landlady explained explain-ed in glowing terms being very high up they could command a magnificent view of all of Harlem and the house tops and the Palisades across the Hudson By the time Johnson had moved into his new quarters and had bou several things which ho thought he could not possibly do without the S100 he had intended to devote to a honeymoon had disappeared But this did not mako any difference he told his wife because now that they were settled they could adhere closely to the directions given on the printed slip and all would be plain sailing He had calculated with great nicety that after deducting 513 a week for board there would be 87 left for their other expenses Of these f 7 SI was to be appropriated appro-priated for car fares 2 for washing 2 for clothing and SL for pin money for his wife For a week this plan worked very well and they had a good deal of fun evenings as they sat up lato together and calculated how they could save a little every week by skimping their wash and by Mrs Johnsons not taking any rides on tho elevated You see my dear said Johnson if you can be satisfied with two trips downtown down-town every week I this will only cost 20 cents and we can save tho other 20 cents Twenty cents a week in 1040 a year you know So by visiting her father and mother twice a week and having them visit her twice they got along very well indeed for one week But at tho end of that time as Johnson was riding to business in tho car one morning morn-ing ho unoonsicously laid out a few cents for a paper as he used to do before he was married He did not think anything of it at the time and bought another the next morning and another on the morning after At the end of the week he found he had spent just 15 cents for papers It worried him greatly but he made a clean breast of it to his wife EiairrrFrvE CENTS is PL1 TY Never mind dear John I can let you have that much out of my pin money I do not really need 51 1 a week you know Why 85 cents is plenty So John went on buying papers The following Saturday night he brought home 1905 and explained the deficiency by say ing that he had bought three cigars at 10 cents each 15 cents worth of newspapers and had met some of tho fellows and coulc not get away without spending 50 cents for drinks These sums added together made 95 cents and Mrs Johnson had to go that week on 5 cents pin money It was not long before Johns little i I wa lte personal per-sonal expenses began to foot up more than tho allowance he bad made for his wifoanc I then they began to stand off their creditors credi-tors They got so much into debt nfter awhile a-while that they were obliged to change the 513 boarding place for an 511 one But it did not seem to uo any good for little expenses ex-penses would crop up unexpectedly and they had to retrench again by going to a still cheaper place His fatherinlaw visited them one day and offered to help them out Why i is foolishhe saidfor you two to live from hand to mouth in this fashion when you can just as well come down und raise stay with us for a time until you get a But this offer was indignantly refused Johnson said positively but firmly that he guessed he could support his wife I ho couldnt he wouldnt have married her So they worked along going from bad to worse The expected raise did not come and their expenses in some manner seemed to increase no mater how little their board cost Johnsons friends began to bo concerned con-cerned for his health They advised him to take a week off and travel in the country A trip to the South they said would do him good But he only smiled dolefully and said ho was perfectly well but he was very busy But the climax came at the end of the year something happened which they had previously taken into account and which was not down on the printed slip that he had preserved so carefully The next morning his fatherinlaw receive re-ceive this note Dear FatherCircumstances over which I had no control havo urged me to accept your kind offer of a home temporarily Nellie and I and the baby will be in very soon i I can borrow tho money to make the move Lovingly JOHN |
