Nebraska advertiser., 1856-06-07

eOAN- AA-1 ->~- - E~rS- N~O1AN3 DAAO9 al
|refecting woman, Was delighted.
s'I wish you hadltaken a piece of
muslin" said she. 1--WE want sheets
and pillow cases badly"
"You can get a piece" replied
Jacobs, eve won't have to pay for it
now. Edwards viii s1nd the bill at the
end Of six months, AID it will be easy
enough 70 pay it theng
e M respti
son piece nslhih nrocufed
ION tho credit ebunt. BIT things d;d
not stop there. A credit accounts too
often ike a breach in a canal; the
stream is small at first, but soon in
creases to a ruinous currents NoWthat
want had found supply source, want
became more clamorous than before.
Scarcely day passed that Nh or Mrs.
Jacobs did not order something from
the store, not dreaming, simple souls,
that an alarmingly heavy debt was
accumulating against them.
As to the income Of Mr.. Jacobs, it
was not large. He was, as has been
lintimated a clerk in d wholesale store,
| and received salaryOf seven hundred
dollars year. His family consisted
of wife and three children, and he had
found it necessary tobe p1udent, in all
his expenditures, in order to ''make
both ends meet" Somewhat inde-
pendent in his feelings, he had never
asked credit Of any one WITH whom he
dealt, and no one oferingit, previous
to the tempting indueepOnt of Ed-
wards, he had regulated Lis out-goes
IEty IEty his actual income. Bs this means
he had managed to keep even with the
world; though not togain any advant-
ages on the side of fortune. Let us
see how it was with him at the endsof
six months, under the new SYSTEM
Let us see if bis ''good credit has
been of any real benefit to him.
1t was SO very pleasant to have
thines comfortable faf q little display,
i WITHOUT feeEnR thag tie indulgsroe
drained the prse to heavily. lAnd
$ MAO -a.ss4ss. w. 4l.., s.f of Iaclkas
Twas gratified h5I the aaflering opinSt'rs.
pf honesty enEeStainea BY Edwards,
ekeeperl 3 Is esedit vas esgsed''
ard he was proud of the fact. But
the day of reckoning asapproaching
and it came at last. -e--- J
II Notwithstanding the creditlat the
dry good store, there was no more
{ money in the young clerks purse al
: the end of six months than at tho
beginning. The cash that would have
gone for clothing, whennecessity called
for additions to the family wardrobe
, had beenspent for things, the purchasc
of which would have been omitted, bu
for the fact that the dollars were in tht
purse instead ofthe storekeeper's hand
| and tempted needless expenditure.
7 As at the end of six months credi
t approached, the mind of Jacobs begal
to rest upon the dry goods dealers bill
3 and to be disturbed by feeling 0
t anxiety: As to the amount of thi
: bill he was in some uncertainty; but h
thought that it could not be less thai
f forty dollars. That was a large sun
S for him to owe, particularly as he ha
u nothing ahead, and his current expense
j, were fully up to his income. 1t wa
now, for the first time in his life, tha
s Jacobs felt the nightmare pressure {
e debt, and it seemed at times as if
g would almost suffocate him.
;, One evening he came home feelin
y more sober than usual. He had though
S of little else all day, besides his billa
S the store. On meeting his wife he sa
; that something was wrong.
"Whatails you, Jane?" saidhe kint
oily. care you sick?"
"NO. was the simple reply. Bi
d her eyes dropped as she said it, and hi
: husband saw that her lips slight
}. quivered.
It Something is wrong, Jane" said IL
husband.
: Tears stole to the wife's cheeks fro
K beneath her half-closed lids-the boso
labOredwith the weight Of some pre-
4 sure.
''Tell me, Jane" urged Jacobs, g
: anything is wrong. Your manne
! alarm me. Are any of the chfldre
! ! sick?"
e ooh, no, no. Nothing OF that, WI
,fl quickly answered. 'tBut-but-M
! Edwards has sent in his bill"
n 'sThat was to be expected, of course
said Jacobs with forced calmness. CIT
y credit was for only six months. But he
v much is the bill?"
n His voice was unsteady as he ask,
the question.
d "a hundred and twenty dollars.'-
= And poor Mrs. Jacobs burst into teal
,r sImpossible!7 exclaimed the startl
t. husband. sImpossible! Ahundred al
IS twenty dollars? Neveri'
is aTRere is the bill" And NJ