Page:The Girl Who Earns Her Own Living (1909).djvu/323

 light, it was sweet and wholesome. Our furniture consisted of an iron bed and springs, which we bought second-hand for four dollars (cleaned and fumigated thoroughly), a new mattress for which we paid five dollars, three sheets at forty-nine cents each, two plates, cups and saucers, knives, forks, spoons and cooking utensils, which, bought at the five and ten-cent store, amounted to one dollar and ten cents; six towels, two chairs (second-hand), one lightweight comfortable, a washbowl and pitcher, a lamp and a one-hole oilstove, broom, scrubbing-brush and soap. There was running water; also we found two good-sized packing-boxes, which we utilized for cupboards. One hand-glass we had between us for a mirror.

"Of one thing I want to warn girls—the wee expenses that will arise. For instance, we next had to buy five cents' worth of nails, a hammer and an oilcan. When we took possession of the room we had spent every cent of our savings—sixteen dollars and twenty-five cents. We had no shades at our windows, so we pinned up newspapers. We ate on the packing-box which held our dishes and food, but from that moment we could speak of our home, and felt that we were working toward some given point. The first week we lived on bread and milk, making milk toast for variety.

"The next week we added fresh fruit, pre-