Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-08-05
Select Gales.
From Graham's Magozine
Sally Lyons First and Last Visit TO the
Ale"HOuSe.

When Sally Lester gave her hand in mar
rage to Ralph Lyon, she was delicate, timid
girl of eighteen, who had passed the spring time
of life happily beneath her fathers roof TO
her, care, anxiety and trouble were strangers
The first few years of her married life passed
happily-for Ralph was one of the kndest Of
husbands and suffered his wife to lean upon him
so steadily, that the native strength of her own
character remained undeveloped.
Ralph Lyon was an industrious mechanic,
who always had steady work and good wages
Still, he did not seem to get ahead as some 9th
ers did, NOTWITHSTANDING Sally was frugal wife,
and did all her work herself, instead of putting
him to the expense of help in the family. Of
course, this being the case, it was evident there
was leak somewhere, but where it was neither
Ralph nor his wife could tell
Thomas Jones has bought the piece of ground
next to his cottage, said Ralph one day to Sal
ly, 'and says that next year he hopes to be able
TO put up small frame house, big enough fol
them to live in. He paid sixty dollars for the
lot, and it is at least a quarter Of an acre. He
is going to put it all in garden this spring, anc
he says he will raise enough to give him potatoes
and other vegetables for a year to come. Il
puzzles me to know kow he saves his money. -
He doesn't get any better wages than | do, anc
his family is quite as Target
Il am sure returned Sally, who felt tina
there was something like reflection upon hel
in what her husband had said, Nancy Jones
doesn't spend her husbands earnings more fru
gay than do mine. Every week she has
woman to help her wash, and do it all my
self
Il am sure it isn't your faut--at least dom
think so,' replied Ralph; 'but something i
wrong somewhere. don't spend anything a
all, except glass or two every day, and little
tobacco; and this, of course, could not make
the difference
Sally said nothing A few glasses day, ant
tobacco, she knew, must cost something, though
like her husband, she did not believe that il
would make the difference of buying snug cot
tage in the course of few years.
Let us see how this is. Perhaps we can fine
out the leak that wasted the substance of Ralph
LYON. He never drank less than three glasses
day. and sometimes four; and his tobacco cost
for smoking and chewing, just twelve and hal
cents week. Now, how much would all this
amount to? Why, to just sixty-6ve dollars &;
year, provided but three glasses day were ia
KEN and nothing was spent in treating friend
But the limit was not always observed, and the
consequence was, that take the year through, al
least eighty dollars were spent in drinking, smo
king and chewing. Understanding this, the
thing is very plain. In four years, eighty dol
lars saved in each year would give the handsome
sum of three hundred and twenty dollars
Thomas Jones never drank, smoked, or chewed
and, consequently, not only saved money enough
in few years to build himself snug little house
but could afford during the time, to let his wife
have washerwoman to help her every week land
to dress much more comfortably than Sally Lyon
had been able to do
The difference in the condition Of the two
families sets Mrs. Lyon to thinking very serious
Iy about the matter, and thinking and calcula-
ting soon made the cause plain to her. 1T was
the drinking and smoking. But with discove-
nv of the evil did not come a cheering consc-
business of its easy removal How cou4she ask
Ralph to give up his glass and his tobacco, to
both of which he seemed so strongly welded
He worked hard for his money, and if he chose
to enjoy it in that way, she had no heart to in
terlere with him. But from the time that Ralph
had discovered how we'll his neighbor Jones was
getting along, while he, like horse in the mill
had been toiling and sweating for years, and yet,
stood in the same place, he became dissatisfied =,
and often expressed his dissatisfaction to Sally