Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1848-09-30
THOMAS H. BENTON.
:" UAN'T AFFORD IT."
BY T, s. ARTHUR.

"CAN'T afford it! Too many mouths to
feed-too many backs to cover. It's a lux.
ury should very much like 10 indulge In
no man ionder OF reading than | am-but
can't afford it, SIR"
sits only three dollars year. Less
than sixpence a week."
81 know. But three dollars year will
buy half barrel of flour and give my lami-
8 bread for monh. It's no use 10 talk,
my friend. know exacly my own ability,
and know that can't afford 10 take the
magazine.
And thus Mr.. Rivers closed the matter
with persevering "canvasser,' who was
industriously trying to add to the subscrip
ton lis, of certain highly popular maya
zine.
81 think you nigh, have taken it, papa"
said Mary Rivers, greatly disappointed. O.
never see magazine or newspaper unless
borrow from Jane TompkIns, and know
her father grumbles at her whenever he
catches her lending them.'
81 might do a great many things, child,
if was made OF money, which am very sor
nv TO say is not the case" returned Mr..
Rivers. ''If could afford it, would take all
the magazines and newspapers in the coun
try but can't, and so that ends the mat
ter"
And thus ending ii, Mr.. Rivers turned
away from his disappointed daughter and
lett the house.
Mary Rivers was extremely fond Of read.
ing, and had, dozens OF times, begged her
father TO take "Godey," or some of the 9th.
err magazines or papers, but his uniform an
swer was, III can't afford it )" so she was
forced TO borrow from Jane Tompkins,
whose father subscribed for half dozen
magazines and newspapers, and thought
the money well laid out. To have to bor-
row she thought bad enough, but The worst
of The matter was, no sooner did she bring
magazine or newspaper into the house,
than it was caught up by one hungry mem.
Der after another, always including her
father, and its contents devoured by each,
and this often before she could get chance
to read halt dozen pages or columns. The
newspaper or magazine, whichever it might
be, never passed through the entire family
of Mr.. Rivers without being considerably
the worse for wear. The papers were soil,
ed. rumped, the folds worn through or torn,
while the magazines were sent home often
sadly disfgured. All this TO Mary was We.
~ Notifying, and often prevented her from
asking to borrow the new numbers oil the
magazines, although, to use her own words
metlmes, she was "dying to see them"
1t was a warm day in July, and Mr.. Riv
ers, who had, about SIX months before, join
ed the Temperance society, felt very dry az
he walked along the street. Before sign
/; ing the pledge, he would have quenched {
! similar state of thirst with an iced punch OIL
mint.julep. Now he merely stepped into
druggists and called for glass of minera
water, for which he paid his ftp, thinking. i
he thought at all about the expense that i
: was the merest trife in the world. An hou
, afterwards he INDUCED in the luxury of {
= couple of oranges, at four cents each, which
tempted him as he passed fruit stall.
+, "Rivers," said a neighbor STEPPING into hi
store after dinner, sits terrible hot, and a
7 there is nothing doing, I've made up m,
G mind 10 take little excursion down tn
river in the steamboat tina, leaves at fou