The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-04-29

nothing was spent in treating friend.
But the limit was not always observed,
and the consequence was that, take the
year through, at least eighty dollars were
spent in drinking, smoking and chewing.
Understanding this, the thing is very
plain. In four years, eighty dollars
saved in each year would give the hand
some sum of three hundred and twenty
dollars Thomas Jones neither drank,
smoked nor chewed and consequently not
only saved money enough in few years
to build himself a snug little house, but
could afford, during the time to let his
wife have washer-woman to help her
every week, and to dress much more
comfortable than Sally Lyon had been
able to do.
The difference in the condition of the
two families set Mrs. Lyon to thinking
very seriously about the matter, and
thinking and calculating soon made the
cause quite plain to her. 1t was the
drinking and the smoking. But with a
discovery of the evil did not come a
cheering consciousness of its easy remov-
al. 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 it in that way, she had
no heart to interfere with him. But
from the time that Ralph discovered how
well 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 be-
came dissatisfied, and often expressed
his dissatisfaction to Sally, at the same
time declaring his inability to tell where
the money he earned went to.
| At length Sally ventured to hint at
the truth. But Ralph met it with
"Pooh nonsense Don't tell me
that glass of liquor now and then, and
a bit of tobacco, are going to make the
difference. 1t isn't reasonable. Be-
sides, l work very hard and ought to
have little comfort with it, When l
am tired, glass warns me up and
makes me bright again and am sure
L could not do without my pipe"
Il don't ask you to do so, Ralph"
replied Sally, "I only said what did
that you might see why we couldn't
save money like our neighbor Jones. 1
am sure am very careful in our ex-
penses, and 1 havn't bought myself a
new gown for long time, although
am very hard of clothes"
The way in which Ralph replied to
his wife's suggestion of the cause of the
evil complained of, determined her to
say no more; and he felt some convic-
ton on the subject, which he was not
willing to admit, he was ever afterwards
silent about the unaccountable way in
which his money went.
In about the same ratio that the ex-
ternal condition of Thoms Jones improv-
ed, did that of Ralph Lyon grow worse
and worse. For, not being able to save
any thing, he gradually began to fall in
in debt. When quarter day came round,
there was few dollars wanting to
make up the rent; and their landlord,
with much grumbling on his part, was
compelled to wait for the balance some
two or three weeks beyond the due day.
At length the quarter day found Ralph
with nothing laid by for his rent. Some
how or other, he was not able to earn as
much from sickness, and days lost from
other causes and what be did earn ap-
peared to melt away like snow IN the
sunshine.
Poor. Mrs. Lyon felt very miserable
at the aspect of things more especially
as, in addition to the money squandered
at the ale house by her husband, he
often came home intoxicated. The
grief to her was more severe from
the fact that she loved Ralph tenderly,
Notwithstanding his errors. When he
came home in liquor she did not chide '
him, nor did she say anything to him
about it when he was sober {; for then he {
appeared so ashamed that she could not
find it in her heart to utter a Single j
word. Q
One day she had been alarmed by a S
from Ralph that he had been q
arrested, while at his work for debt by t
his landlord, who was going to throw him O
in Jail. They now owed him over v
twenty dollars. The idea of her hus- /
band being thrown into Jail Was terri c
bic to poor Mrs. Lyon. She asked e
kind neighbor to take care of her child h
rem for her and then putting on her bon G
net. she almost few to the magistrates n