the time; and when people did their best, ought they not
to be able to keep alive?

There seemed never to be an end to the things they had
to buy and to the unforeseen contingencies. Once their
water-pipes froze and burst; and when, in their ignorance,
they thawed them out, they had a terrifying flood in their
house. It happened while the men were away, and poor
Elzbieta rushed out into the street screaming for help, for
she did not even know whether the flood could be stopped,
or whether they were ruined for life. It was nearly as bad
as the latter, they found in the end, for the plumber charged
them seventy-five cents an hour, and seventy-five cents for
another man who had stood and watched him, and included
all the time the two had been going and coming, and also
a charge for all sorts of material and extras. And then
again, when they went to pay their January's installment
on the house, the agent terrified them by asking them if
they had had the insurance attended to yet. In answer to
their inquiry he showed them a clause in the deed which
provided that they were to keep the house insured for one
thousand dollars, as soon as the present policy ran out,
which would happen in a few days. Poor Elzbieta, upon
whom again fell the blow, demanded how much it would
cost them. Seven dollars, the man said; and that night
came Jurgis, grim and determined, requesting that the
agent would be good enough to inform him, once for all,
as to all the expenses they were liable for. The deed was
signed now, he said, with sarcasm proper to the new way
of life he had learned -- the deed was signed, and so the
agent had no longer anything to gain by keeping quiet.
And Jurgis looked the fellow squarely in the eye, and so
he did not waste any time in conventional protests, but
read him the deed. They would have to renew the insur~
ance every year; they would have to pay the taxes, about
ten dollars a year; they would have to pay the water-tax,
about six dollars a year -- (Jurgis silently resolved to shut
off the hydrant). This, besides the interest and the
monthly installments, would be all -- unless by chance the
city should happen to decide to put in a sewer or to lay a

[[119]]

p118 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p119w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p120

v?