American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-12-20

$500 PAVt'y oOl'hoC'7
:, Ifthats the best one you. haze, twill
never do to go with a new coat. said Ed
wards in a decided tone. ;.Let me show
you beautiful piece of black satin.' 81, 4,
tAnd so the storekeeper went on tempt
ing his customer, until he sold him vest
and pantaloons inaddition to the coat
After that he found no difficulty in selling.
him asilk dress for his wifa. Having in
dulged himselfwith an entire new suit, he
could not, upon reflection think of passing
by his wife, who had been wishing for a.
new silk dress for more than six months.
.Can'tyou think ofany thing else? en-
quired Edwards. shall be happy to sup,
ply whatever you may want in my line.'
Nothing more, | believe answered ia
cobs, whose bin was already thirty five
dollars, and he had yet to pay for making
his coat, pantaloons and vest, ,s-,ss
/ But you will want various articles of
dry goods. In a family thers is something
called for every day Tell Mrs. Jacobs TO
send down for whatever she may need;
mover mind about the money. Your cred
ii is good with me for anyamountD ~
: When Mr.. Jacobs went home andtold
his wiiewhat he had done, she, umeilect
ing woman, was. delighted. r
4 wish. you hadtakena piece Of musln,'
said she; we want sheets and pillow cases
badly *. 4.sz ,.fssis 49, q As-. =; l.3a
= you can get a pieca. replied Jacobs;
we won't have to pay forit now. Edwards
win send the bill at the end OF six months,
aud it will be easy enoughto pay it then
oh. yes, easy enough responded his
wife, confidently. 50 -''si''
; S2a piece of muslin was procured on
the crsdit account, But, things did not
stop there. A credit account IS TOO often
like breach in the canal; the stream is
small at first, but soon increases to ruin
Gus curr Mt. Now that want had found
source, want had became more clamorous
than before. Scarcely a day passed that
Mr.. and Mrs. Jacobs did not order some
thing from the store, not dreaming, sim
pie souls, that an alarming heavy debt was
accommodating against them. A ~
As 10 the income Of Mr.. Jacobs, il was
not large. He was. as has been intimatetl,
a clerk in wholesale etore, and received
a salary Of seven hun lred dollars year
His family consisted of wife, aud three
children, and he had found it necessary to
be prudent in al his expenditures, in or
Ederto mike hoth enls meet Somewhat
independent in his feelings, he had never
asked credit of any one with whom he
dealt, and no one Offering it, previous to
the tempting inducement held out by Ell
wards, be had regulated his out-goes by
his actualincome. By this means he had
managed to keep even with the world, tho
| not to gain any advantages on the side tc
fortune. Let us see how it was with hin
at the end of six months, under the new
system. Let us see if his good credit ha,
been of any real benefit to him.
1t was so very pleasant to have thing.
comfortable, or for little display, withou
feeling that the indulgence drained th,
purse too heavily, Aud weak vanity OF
the part of Jacobs, was gratifed by thu
flattering opinions of his honesty enter
tanned by Edwards, the storekeeper Hi
credit was good, and he was proud o
the fact. But the day of reckoning wa
approaching, and at last it came.
! notwithstanding, tho credit at the DIR,
| good store, there was no more money ii
|, the Young elerk's purse at the end Of 81,
months than at the beginning. The casl
that would have. gone for clothing, whel
] necessity called for additions to the familI
wardrobe, had been spent for .things, til
/ purchase of which would have been, omit
4 ted, but for the fact that the dollars wer
in9the pnrse Instead Of in the storekeeper'
\ hands, and tempted needless expenditure
? AS. the end of the six months credit pc
4 Eriod approached. ). the mind pfJacobs begal
to rest upon the dry geois dealers bill
ahdtobe disturbed by a feeling Of anxiety
A As to the amount ofahis bill he was /,
some uncertainty; but he thought that
woulduot be less than forty dollars. Ths
was a large sum for him to owe, particu
larly she had nothing ahead, and his cur
; rent expenses were fully upyto his income
j 1t was now, for the first time in his life
that Jacobs felt the night mare pressure q
Il debt, and il seemed at times if it woul
z almost sufocaterhim. Is 1gfa-ssf sg.
Il One evening be came home, feelin
4 more sober than usual. He had though
'of' little all day besides his bill at the stort
! On meeting his wife he saw that somethin
was wrong 5rsAa t479 ag1o0 Tae y =.
il What ails: you. Jane?, said he kindly
-l Are you sickYiS ~. pic r.', y = .asaJI6
! NO. was the simple reply. But he
n eyes dropped, asFshe said it. and , lie
i husband saw that her.lips slightly quiveI
ed. sBr il.s d a.anN ,1JS Az a' Fifzf
! issomething is wrong, Jane,5 said he
II husband p ~ es7T Saes ,s.iefs "i 80
i Fears stole to the wife checks from be
meath her half closed eyes-the bosom Ia
4 bored with the weight Of some pressur,
Tel me, jane, urged jacobs, il any
thing is swrong. ourmanner alarms me
| Are any Of the children sick?'
H '0h, no, no. Nothing of that wa
tquickly answered., ut+-but---Mr.a Ed
wards has sent inahis1billSssas
J, That was to be expected, of course
J said Jacobs, with forced calmness sTb
4 credit was for only six months. : But hol
much is the bill?,
/ Hisvoicc was unsteady as he asked Ii
} qnestion,cA q sg ~ Eser a s.e.as y tts, 2
| - al hIndrads and fxvanfv doIlare IA n