og-cheap is what I call it, when I think of the small rooms I've ben
soaked for," was Billy's judgment. "Look at the one I got now, not as
big as the smallest here, an' me payin' six dollars a month for it."

"But it's furnished," Saxon reminded him. "You see, that makes a
difference."

But Billy didn't see.

"I ain't much of a scholar, Saxon, but I know simple arithmetic; I've
soaked my watch when I was hard up, and I can calculate interest. How
much do you figure it will cost to furnish the house, carpets on the
floor, linoleum on the kitchen, and all?"

"We can do it nicely for three hundred dollars," she answered. "I've
been thinking it over and I'm sure we can do it for that."

"Three hundred," he muttered, wrinkling his brows with concentration.
"Three hundred, say at six per cent.--that'd be six cents on the dollar,
sixty cents on ten dollars, six dollars on the hundred, on three hundred
eighteen dollars. Say--I'm a bear at multiplyin' by ten. Now divide
eighteen by twelve, that'd be a dollar an' a half a month interest."
He stopped, satisfied that he had proved his contention. Then his face
quickened with a fresh thought. "Hold on! That ain't all. That'd be
the interest on the furniture for four rooms. Divide by four. What's a
dollar an' a half divided by four?"

"Four into fifteen, three times and three to carry," Saxon recited
glibly. "Four into thirty is seven, twenty-eight, two to carry; and
two-fourths is one-half. There you are."

"Gee! You're the real bear at figures." He hesitated. "I didn't follow
you. How much did you say it was?"

"Thirty-seven and a half cents."

"Ah, ha! Now we'll see how much I've ben gouged for my one room.
Ten dollars a month for four rooms is two an' a half for one. Add
thirty-seven an' a half cents interest on furniture, an' that makes
two dollars an' eighty-seven an' a half cents. Subtract from six
dollars...."

"Three dollars and twelve and a half cents," she supplied quickly.

"There we are! Three dollars an' twelve an' a half cents I'm jiggered
out of on the room I'm rentin'. Say! Bein' married is like savin' money,
ain't it?"

"But furniture wears out, Billy."

"By golly, I never thought of that. It ought to be figured, too. Anyway,
we've got a snap here, and next Saturday afternoon you've gotta get off
from the laundry so as we can go an' buy our furniture. I saw Salinger's
last night. I give'm fifty down, and the rest installment plan, ten
dollars a mont