Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-05-01
Gboite Mlistfuangy,
A DIME.

The city editor of the New York Tribune
tells the following story of poor widow Of
that city:
al had," she said, 'one day last week, on
ly one dime in the world, and that was to
feed me and my four children all day; for |
would not ask for credit and could not bor-
row, and never did beg. did live through
the day and did not go hungry. l fed my
self and family with one dime"
"How!'
aOh, that was not all. | bought fuel,
too.''
"What, with one dime"
ayes, with one dime. bought two cents
worth of coke, because that is cheaper ;han
coal, and besides | could kindle it with a
piece of paper and my little bits D: charcoal
that some careless boy had dropped in the
street Just in my path. With three cents |
bought shaggy piece of salt pork--half fat
and half lean. There might have been half
a pound of 1.-THE man did not weigh it,
Now half my money was gone, and the show
for breakfast, dinner and supper was certain
ly a very poor one. With the rest of my
dime bought four cents worth of white
beans. By the bv got these at night. and
soaked them in tepid water on neighbor's
stove till morning. had one cent left
| bought one cents worth OF corn meal,
and the grocery man gave me red pepper
pod"
What was that fort"
await little--you shall know. Of all
things, peppers and onions are appreciated
by the poor in winter, because they help to
keep them warm. With my meal | made
three drmplings, and. these with the pork
and pepper pod, put into the pot with the
beans and plenty of water, for the pork was
salt. and boiled the whole two hours, and
then we had breakfast, for it was time for
the children to 90 to school. We ate one
of the dumplings and each had plate of the
soup for breakfast& good breakfast it was.
81 kept my pot boiling as long as my coke
lasted, and at dinner we ate half the meat
half the soup, and one of the dumplings.-
We had the same allowance for supper;
and the children were better satisfied than
have sometimes seen them when our fooC
has cost five times as much. The next day
we had another dime--it was all | coulc
earn, for all ceuld get to do-two pairs o
mems drawers each day, at five cents pal
and on that we lived well. We had ;
change, too, for instead of the corn meal ant
beans, got foul cents worth ofpotatoes-
small potatoes. because could get more o
them. | washed them clean, so as not t
waste anything by pairing, and cut them W
and boiled them all to pieces with the mea
and meal"
(Which went furthest!"
81 can't say. We ate it all each day,an'
didn't feel the want of more, though ih
children said ma, don't you wish you had
piece Of bread and butter to finish off with
1t would have been good to be surei bu
bless me, what would dimes worth o
bread and butter be for a family!
"And had another change the next day.
s.What, for another dime!"
"Yes, that was all we had. day after day
We had to live on it. twas very hard t
be sure; but it has taught me something.
"What is that?'
"That poor people could live great de;
cher per and better than they do, if the
knew how to economise their food. Yo
have told them how; but they ore slow
learn, or 10th to change from foolish ol
practices"
"What was your next change!"
"Oh, yes, was about to tell you that
Well, l went to the butchers the night bt
fore and bought five cents worth of lttl
scrap pieces of lean beef, and / declare
believe got as much as pound, and tn
cut into bits, and soaked over night-a
all-important process for soup or stew
cooking it in the same water. Then
bought two cents worth of potatoes and on
cents worth of meal-that made the eigt
cents; two had to go for fuel every day, an
the paper got my purchases in, served ft
kindling. The meal l wet up into ST
dough, and worked it into little round bal
as big as grapes, and the potatoes cut l
into slices, and all together made a stew
chowder, seasoned with small onions and
part of pepper pod that got with the p
tatoes. 1t was very good, but it did not {
quite SO far as the soup, either day, or ell
the fresh meat tasted so good that we wan
ed to eat more. But | can tell you, smi
as it may seem to you, there is great de
of good eating in one DIM"
So there is-what pity everybody dol