Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1852-06-07
Sally Lyons First and Last
Visit to the e-House,
BY r. 5. ARTHUR.

Il
This story is founded upon brief mar
ratiye which me, the authors eye in al
English paper.
When Sally Lester gave her hand ii
marriageto Ralph Lyon, she was a timie
girl Of eighteen who had passed the spring
time OF life happily beneath her father
root. 10 her, care. and anxiety, and
trouble were yet strangers. The first few
years of her married life passed happily
tor Ralph was one Of the kindest Of hus>
bands, and suffered his wife to lean upon
him SO steadily, that the nntive strength
of her own character remained undevel
oped.
Ralph Lyon was an industrious mechan.
| ic, who always bad steady work and good
| wages. Still he did not seem TO get ahead
us some others did, notwithstanding Sally
wns frugal wife and did al her own work,
instead of putting him to the expense OF
help in the family. OF course, this being
the case, it was evident there was a leak
somewhere, but where il 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 Sally. sand says that next year be
hopes to be able to put up small farm.
house, big enough for them TO live in.---
He paid sixty dollars Tor the lot, and it is
al lenst quarter Of an acre. He is going
10 put il in garden ;his spring, and lie
snys he will raise noughh TO give him pota-
Ices. and other vegetables for year TO
come. |, puzzles me TO know how he
saves money. He deesn', get any better
wages Than do, and his family is quite as
large
i am sure, returned Sally, who felt that
there was something like reflection upon
her il what her husband said, sthnt Nancy
Jones doesn't spend her husbands earnings
more frugally than do mine. Every
week she has womnn to help her wash,
and | do il oil myself. + g :
II am sure il isn't your fault--a least
don't think ir is. replied Ralph, 'but some.
thing is wrong somewhere. Il dom. spend
anything at all, except for q glass or two
every day, and a little tobacco; and this Of
course, couldn't make the difference
Sally said nothing. A few glasses q
day ond tobacco, she knew must cost some
thing, though, like her husband, she did
moi believe il would nuke the difference of
buying quarter Of an acre Of ground, and
building a snug cottage in the course Of
few years.
Letus see how this is Perhaps we can
find out the leak that wasted the substance
Of Ralph Lyon. Heneyer drank less than
three glasses day, and sometimes four;
and his tobacco cost, for smoking and
chewing, just twelve and q half cents
week. Now, how much would this amount
toa Why, to just sixty y-fve dollars ear,
provided but three glasses o day were taken,
and nothing was spent in treating a friend.
But the limit was not always observed,
and the consequence was that, take the
year through, OF least eighty dollars were
spent in drinking and chewing. Upder-
standing this, the thing is very plain. In
four years, eighty dollars saved in each
year would give the handsome sam Of
three hundred and twenty dollars. Thom-
as Jones neither drank smoked or chewed,
and consequently, not only saved money
enough in afew years to build himself a
snug little house, but could afford during
the time, to let his wife have washer-wo-
man TO help her every week, and 10 dress
much more comfortable than Sally Lyon
had been able to do. B: .i.s
The difference between the two families
set Mrs. Lyons 10 thinking very seriously
about the matter, and thinking and calcu-
laiing soon made The cause quite plain to
her. Il was the drinking and smoking.
But with q discovery Of the evil did not
como q cheering consciousness Of its easy
removal. How could she 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 il in that way, she had no
heart to interfere with him. Blu! from the
time that Ralph discovered how well his
neighbor Jones was getting along, while
he, like horse in 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,
at the same time declaring his inability to
tell where the money went to.
At length Sally yen,ured to hint at the
truth. But Ralph met it with
Pooh! nonsense! Don't tell me that a
glass of liquor now and then, and bit OF
tobacco, are going to make the difference.
Il ism reasonable. Besides, / work very
hard and ought 10 have little comfort with
! it. When | am:lired, glass warns me
up, and makes me bright again; and | am
J sure could not do without my pipe.'