said it with all the assurance of a man who had just made
a dollar and fifty-seven cents in a single day. Jurgis was
at a loss to understand why, with wages as they were, so
many of the people of this district should live the way they
did.

The next day Marija went to see her "forelady," and
was told to report the first of the week, and learn the
business of can-painter. Marija went home, singing out
loud all the way, and was just in time to join Ona and
her stepmother as they were setting out to go and make
inquiry concerning the house. That evening the three
made their report to the men -- the thing was altogether
as represented in the circular, or at any rate so the agent
had said. The houses lay to the south, about a mile and a
half from the yards; they were wonderful bargains, the
gentleman had assured them -- personally, and for their
own good. He could do this, so he explained to them,
for the reason that he had himself no interest in their
sale -- he was merely the agent for a company that had
built them. These were the last, and the company was
going out of business, so if any one wished to take advan~
tage of this wonderful no-rent plan, he would have to be
very quick. As a matter of fact there was just a little
uncertainty as to whether there was a single house left;
for the agent had taken so many people to see them, and
for all he knew the company might have parted with the
last. Seeing Teta Elzbieta's evident grief at this news,
he added, after some hesitation, that if they really in~
tended to make a purchase, he would send a telephone
message at his own expense, and have one of the houses
kept. So it had finally been arranged -- and they were
to go and make an inspection the following Sunday
morning.

That was Thursday; and all the rest of the week the kill~
ing-gang at Brown's worked at full pressure, and Jurgis
cleared a dollar seventy-five every day. That was at the
rate of ten and one-half dollars a week, or forty-five a month;
Jurgis was not able to figure, except it was a very simple
sum, but Ona was like lightning at such things, and she

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