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Show . 'A Home at the Seashore on a Small Salary. E VlSlt Y da brings us nearer to those h'ours of discomfort altcuduut on the summer season, hours when the hemming hem-ming in by hot brick walls seems more insufferable than ever, when we urc prone to envy the rich, who arc able to summer1 at the beach or in the mountains. And 1 just want to tell you, sister, that the task of getting a home outside the city is not I nearly so insurmountable as you fancy, and of how I made a cosey little nest for myself within easy walking distance of the seashore. A little remote from the built up section of a fashionable summer resort, and where there were a few bungalowa just beginning to make an appearance, there lay a number of plots of rather low land, backed by a tiny trout stream. These plots were covered with underbrush, there was a fresh water spring on one of them, und pine trees were scattered promiscuously promiscu-ously over the property. I purchased three of them, oO by 200 feet, at ?390 apiece, making a bargain with the real estate dealer for $10 down and eatsy pay. meats on a sliding scale commencing with $5 a mouth for tho first sir months, rising ris-ing afterward to ?7 and then to 10, keeping up the latter rate of payment for us long a time as ,waB) required to com- plete the full amount of the purchase price. The next Important question was that of getting some place to flheltcr me when 1 came to my little country home. 1 found that by paying In $100 1 could make arrangements with the firm from which I bought the land for the erection of i small bungalow, with veranda, water, bathroom and gas. In order to facilitate matters I gave from my weekly salary of ?15 one-half of that amount until un-til the required $100 was paid. Tho little house grew like a mushroom, and soon I was able to go into it and prepare pre-pare for my stay there. The veranda, on two sides of It, was of a width to ndmlt of the use of one end for the dining table in the hottest weather. All along its edge I planted old fashioned scarlet runner and wild cucumber vines, and in no time I was sheltered from the glare of the sun by die cool green foliage nnd red and white blossoms blos-soms of the hardy climbers. I bothered lit'.' about tho furnishings Insldo of the bungalow. A few canvas chairs, two or three cots for myself nud friends when they came to SCe me, a small table or two with pretty twenty-five cent covers thrown over them, blue and green barred scrim curtain at the windows to give tho rooms a cosier appearance, and with a few bare necessities tho bungalow equipment was completed. But It was of my garden that I was most proud, and you caoavc one just like it it you will only take the pains. It was a rustic sort of place, not cut on straight lines. Here and there was an upturned tree root covered with rich loam. In the nooks behind them I planted round-faced sunflowers because they always look so glad. On the front aide of each root 1 plnntcd low flowering plnntp, such as por-tulacca, por-tulacca, candy tuft and some dwarf asters that arc gayest at the firat leaetaking of summer. The miniature pond which had been dredged out I paved with small rocks and seaslielLs. On its surface floated water plants, among which flirted the glittering goldfish with which I had stocked it at small expense. A few cannus and elephant curs ntrewn here and there on my rehety lawn rustled their big leaves in soft accompauiment to the drone of the busy brown bee that sipped nectar from the flowers near by. On the edge of tho trout stream, which lay beyond my vegetable garden at the rear end of tho plot, ferns and wood plants of different varieties bobbed in lazy contentment at their own redactions in the water, glad because I let them stay. You can have a summer home, too, if you go about it rigbt. There are so niany thing1 that you can do with your own handn to beautify a simple plot of virgin Roil, and tho doing of St will make your body stronger and your tired braiu more clear. :'""' ' .."'"'. |