ceive her husband as to the purchase of necessities
and she had not as yet indulged in any of the fancies which an
enlarged purse permitted. Fear deterred her. But, after Jennie had
been in Chicago for a few days, she wrote to her mother saying that
Lester wanted them to take a new home. This letter was shown to
Gerhardt, who had been merely biding her return to make a scene. He
frowned, but somehow it seemed an evidence of regularity. If he had
not married her why should he want to help them? Perhaps Jennie was
well married after all. Perhaps she really had been lifted to a high
station in life, and was now able to help the family. Gerhardt almost
concluded to forgive her everything once and for all.

The end of it was that a new house was decided upon, and Jennie
returned to Cleveland to help her mother move. Together they searched
the streets for a nice, quiet neighborhood, and finally found one. A
house of nine rooms, with a yard, which rented for thirty dollars, was
secured and suitably furnished. There were comfortable fittings for
the dining-room and sitting-room, a handsome parlor set and bedroom
sets complete for each room. The kitchen was supplied with every
convenience, and there was even a bath-room, a luxury the Gerhardts
had never enjoyed before. Altogether the house was attractive, though
plain, and Jennie was happy to know that her family could be
comfortable in it.

When the time came for the actual moving Mrs. Gerhardt was fairly
beside herself with joy, for was not this the realization of her
dreams? All through the long years of her life she had been waiting,
and now it had come. A new house, new furniture, plenty of
room--things finer than she had ever even imagined--think of
it! Her eyes shone as she looked at the new beds and tables and
bureaus and whatnots. "Dear, dear, isn't this nice!" she exclaimed.
"Isn't it beautiful!" Jennie smiled and tried to pretend satisfaction
without emotion, but there were tears in her eyes. She was so glad for
her mother's sake. She could have kissed Lester's feet for his
goodness to her family.

The day the furniture was moved in Mrs. Gerhardt, Martha, and
Veronica were on hand to clean and arrange things. At the sight of the
large rooms and pretty yard, bare enough in winter, but giving promise
of a delightful greenness in spring, and the array of new furniture
standing about in excelsior, the whole family fell into a fever of
delight. Such beauty, such spacio