The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1858-12-23

''ClN'T AFFORD IT.


a luxury l should very much like to in
dulge in--no man foudor Of reading
than am-but can't afford it, sir"
Tts only three dollars a year. Less
than six. pence a week"
"I know. But three dollars a year
will buy half barrel of -four, and
give my family bread for a month
It's no use to talk, my friend. I know
exactly my own ability, and know that
l can't afford to take the magazine
And thus Mr.. Rivers closed the mat
ter with persovering "canvassor,' who
was industriously trying TO add to the
subscription list of a certain highly pop
ulor magazine.
81 think you might have taken it, pa
pa, " said Mary Rivers, greatly disap-
pointed 81 never sec magazine or
newspaper, unless ! borrow from Jano
Tompkins, and know her father grum-
bles at her whenever he catches her
lending them"
81 might do a great many things,
child if / was made of money, which 1
am very sorry to say is not the case, "
returned Mr.. Rivers. "If 1 could afford
| it, 1 would take all the magazines and
newspapers in the country but l can t,
and so that ends the matter
And thus ending it, Mr.. Rivers turn
ed away from his disappointed daugh-
ter, and left the house.
Mary Rivers was extremely fond of
READING, and had time and again beg.
ged her father to take some Of the
magazines or papers, but his uniform
answer was, 81 can't afford it," so she
was forced to borrow Of Jane Tomp
kins, whose father subscribed for half
dozen, and thought the money wei
laid out To have to borrow, sht
thought bad enough, but the worst Of
the matter was, no sooner did she bring
a magazine or newspaper into tn,
house, than it was caught up by ont
hungry member after another, Away
including her father, and its content
devourcd by each, and this often be
fore she could get a chance to read hall
a dozen pages or columns. The news
paper or magazine, whichever it nigh
be, never passed through the entr,
family of Nr. Rivers without being tn
worse for wear. The papers were soil
ed and rumplcd, the folds worn through
or torn, while the magazines were sen
home often sadly disfgurod. All this
to Mary, was very mOrtiiying, and of
ten prevented her from asking to borro,
the new numbers Of the magazines, al
though to use her own words, some
times, she was dying to see them
1t was a warm day in July, and MI
Rivers, who had, about six months be
fore, joined the temperance society, fel
very dry as he walked along the street
Before signing the pledge, he woul
have qucnched a similar state of thirs
with an iced punch or a mint julep.-
Now he merely stepped into a druggist
, and called for a glass Of mineral water
, thinking, if he thought at all about tn
: expense, that it was the mercst trihc i
, the world
An hour afterwards he INDUCED i
the luxury Of couple Of oranges,
four cents each, which tempted him q
p he passed fruit stall.
"Rivers, said a neighbor, stcppin
into his store after dinner, cts terrib
hot, and as there is nothing doing, Nv
made up my mind to take a little ey
, cursion down the river in the steam
I boat that leaves at four o'clock. Con
/, go along, won't you? We can /
r home by tea-time."
/ 81 don't care if I do, replied River
6 II want a little recreation badly"
\ A thought Of the expense, or wheth,
! he could afford it, never crossed h
mind.
At four he was on board the steau
boat, after having spent a shilling f
q cigars, which were shared with h
l. neighbor.
q "Comc, let's have a glass of lemol
ade he said, shortly after they we
on board the steamboat, and the tv
men went to the bar, and each drank
d cool glass Of lemonade, for which Ri
n ers settled. Shortly afterwards the ia
81 was called for. 1t was only twenty-f'
y cents.
lie "Cheop enough, " remarked Rivers,
'r eyes, cheap as dirt. No wonder Il
boat is crowded"
, Twolve-and-a-half cents more we
Is spent by Rivers for an ice.crcam befo
p he returned from tho excursion.
. could afford this very we'll.
Sc On arriving in tho city, between sc
,r en- and eight o'clock in the evening,
ie occurred to him that as long as he b.
n been enjoying himself so we'll, he oug
IN to take something home for his fami
id that was a little nice While wondC
H. ing what this should be, he passed
fruit shop, in the window of which "
large display of oranges,
"Ill take a dozen oranges home
y. that will do, he said,
~ And so he went in and got a doz
oranges, for which he paid thirty-seve
and-a-half cents, and bought, besides
fps worth of tobacco
The extra spendings Of MIR. Rive
who could not afford to take a mag
zine, were, for that day, just one d
lar and twenty cents, or at the rate
one hundred and sixty dollars a yo
" And yet Mr.. Rivers thought himself
r very economical man, aud took me
cd to himself for saving on newspapI
40 and magazines,
orl On the next day Mr. Rivers felt as
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