Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-06-18
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH.
From the American Courier
CA MT EFT ALONG.
BY 7. s. ARTHUR,

on thousand dollars year. We can't do it,"
| "I'm sure l try to economic all | can, re-
turned Mrs. Hall, sadly, for she felt that her
husbands remark was more than half intended
as reflection upon her. " / only keep one girl
and do nearly all my own sewing"
81 don't blame you, Harriet, said DIR. Hall
81 am sure don't | know you work hard
too hard | often wish it was easier for you
But what can | do? My salary is only q thou
sand dollars, And yet that is all Hawkins re-
ceives, and he seems to get along SO smoothly,
and even lays by, he tells me, hundred dollars
year."
Il don't know how they do it, replied Mrs
Hall. 81 know that Mrs. Hawkins doesn't work
half as hard as do, though her house always
looks in better order than mine They have bet
ter furniture than we have, and | am sure Mrs.
Hawkinss clothes cost double what mine do.
don't think it is my fault"
Il don't say it is Harriet ! believe you do
your part the best you know how But some
thing must be wrong somewhere. Other people
can live very well on thousand dollars, while
We are always owing bills to this, that, and the
other one: Here is the quarters bill for grocc-
rics, amounting to sixty-fve dollars, and owe
seventy to my tailor besides. Then there is an
unsettled bill at the provision store of fifteen or
twenty dollars besides the rent, bread bill, the
milk bill, and | don't know how many other
bills"
Il wish these bills were not allowed to run
on remarked Mrs Hall {" am sure it would
be great daal better to pay for everything as
we 20 along
it with.
cit takes nearly my whole quarters salary,
regularly, to pay of the bills of three months
and then there is no way to live but to go on
trust for almost everything for three months
longer It's q bad system, | know. but there
appears to be no help for it just now"
And in the full conviction that there was nc
help for it, Mr.. Hall drew his quarters salary Of
two hundred and fifty dollars, and went and paid
to two hundred dollars. Then giving his wife
ten dollars to get little things with, he started
under feeling Of Encouragement, on II new
quarter, with but forty dollars in his pocket
Although he had paid two hundred dollars o.
debts, there was almost an equal amount still
hanging over him.
Mr.. Hall was clerk IN bank, where he was
engaged, regularly, from eight o'clock in the
morning until about four o'clock, and sometimes
five, in the afternoon. He lived in n house for
which he paid two hundred dollars II year, mud
| paid his tailor from hundred to IL hundred and
fifty dollars annually He carried gold lever
watch that had cost eighty dollars and wore u
chain for which he had paid forty. lie also in
dulged in one or two expensive breastpins, and,
before his family had become as large as at pres
ent, had spent a good deal Of money in iewelry
for his wife. But the dropping in of one child
after another, until the number grew to FIVE, in
terfered with these little indulgences very mate
rally, and called so loudly for self-denial, tina
the appeal could not be entirely disregarded
But the self-denial was practised more by Mrs
Hall-much more than by her husband. She de-
MED herself almost eVerythlng-eVen sufficient
rest for her oyer-wearied body; while he went on,
| =. .t... H. =, IL -1o,I L.
and his wife paid eight dollars week for their
boarding, and had just the same income they had
at present. But let US look little more closely
into his way of doing things, and see if it is not
possible to discover what appeared 80 great q
mystery to him
On the day after Mr. Hall had spoken to his
wife go despondingly, he spent for tobacco and
cigars eighteen and three quarter cents for q
luncheon and glass Of wine-sangaree, twelve
and half cents more and in toys for the chill
dren, fifty cents. He also bought bottle of wine,
for which he paid seventy-hve cents. These items
7 amounted to one dollar and fifty-sx and quar-.
ter cents in a single day. On the next day be
paid his BARRIERS bill for three months, which
was three dollars and half and his boot black
bill, which was two dollars. Luncheon, and some
cakes and candies for the children cost twenty
five cents; and very pretty paper-foder tina
struck his fancy, the trife of twenty-five cent
moro. DeIe were SIX uOlluIs IOT l0B second uay
nearly all of which might have been saved if HI
had shaved himself and brushed his own boots
to do either Of which would have been far mor
! honorable, genteel, and praseworthy than to in
! dulge in the luxury of barber and o boot-hack
and let his wife work herself half to death On
the third day he hired a chase and rode out with
his family after he had left bank in the after
noon. The chaise-hire was dollar and man.
and toll-gates and refreshments for ALL nifty cents
more. Already, in luncheon, cigars, ana one OF
two little matters, half dollar had hecu eX-
peuded bv Mr. Hall in the forcpart of the day;
So that on the third day of the week. three dollars
were cxpended unnecessarily. During this time,
| for marketing, shoes for one or two Of his chill
dren and sundry expenses incident TO u large
family. six dollars melted from the hands of Mrs
Hall.
On the evening after the ride, Afr. Hall took
out his pocket-book and counted his money To
his utter astonishment and almost dismay5 he
| found that he had only about twcnty-three dol
lars and half lie counted it over and over
again, but could not make il a cent more. Three
| days before, he had forty dollars Where could
! sixteen and half have flown to He had never
spent it that to his mind was perfectly clear.
g Have you taken any money out Of my pocket
book 2" he asked of his wife.
90 No. certainly not she replied what should
take money out of your pockct-book for ? You
gave me ten dollars, and | have eight and half
of it left"
Well, something S gone with, about ten dol.
lars. have but twenty-three and u half and !
had forty two or three days ago Of course l
haven't spent sixteen dollars and over IN three
days"
Certainly not But where car 1t have gone Z
Have you counted it right p
ooh ves !" and Mr. Hall went over the money
aqain to sec if there were no mistake
Its too true have but twenty-three dol
lars and a half
8. Arc You sure you haven't spent 1t for some
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