St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-12-22
WILL IT PAY

iiciShuo, SHaTicy, Cflcu Cncery
voice unders my window, "what
would You give to own such splen-
did house as that over the way All!
don't | wish was rich ?"
Well, go ahead, Jack, be rich if
you want to ; don't see anything to
hinder. I've heard my father say that
a boy not unidentified, with good
health and a fair start. can do almost
anything he wants to do in lifetime"
Well, said Charley suppose we
set out together, You have two years
the better of me, but by the time | am
forty, let's see who'll be the best off.
Come, one, two, three, and away y
IL don't know, Jack, as l care
about being so eery rich. 1t costs too
much it don't pay"
Costs? why, you don't buy money
with money, do your"
No, but sometimes with what is
far better than money. You know
the owner of that house over there !?
He is not an old man-about forty
believe but his hair is quite gray
and his head bent down. He is al
most always muttering to himself
when he walks tottcring through the
streets, and his face is gloomy as
thunder-cloud. They don't call him
crazy its hypo-something or other
with long name. They say he is in
continual fear of becoming poor and
his family going to the the aims
house some of them deserve it
enough, to be sure. But say, Jack,
what's the use of having wealth. if you
can't take the comfort of it? Here's
my father. now, with nothing in the
world but his salary, and four boys to
bring up on that; yet never word of
the alms-house have | heard. My
father is frccr and happier, and, as far
as the good Of it goes, richer than
Judge Stone, with his splendid house
and half million in the banks"
"Oh, well, Charley, I'll risk the
gray hairs and the hypo' for either
you or me. He must have been
gloomy old cove to begin with. What
do you say to eX-mayor Jones over
there? Owns whole streets of houses,
and feels himself rich enough too, |
guess
lIo, no y laughed Charley, "you
would like to be rich on his plan, would
you. just let me tell you story.
Mrs. Jones and my mother were
schoolgirls together, and loved each
other very dearly, rs schoolgirls do,
you know. Well, after they were
married, they settled down beside
each other, as it happened Mr.. Jones
living in an old farm house that be-
lonGcd, suppose, to his great.grand-
father, and We in dear little cottage,
make room for; his his great ;n5t b368eNk bG368N tl II
brown stone. Very good friends we
all were, and Mrs. Jones is really a
dear good lady yet. Well, one sum
mcr, | remember. their long rows of
currant bushes were covered with
fruit that rotted and fell off, because
there was no one to use them, and we
had none. Mrs. Jones urged mother
TO let us come and pick just as many
as she could use, for pies, jellies, or
whatever, So as to save them, she said.
SO one afternoon Harry and l went
with our little tin pals to get some
for tea. just as we were starting for
home, who should come along but
Squire Jones take us into the kitcll-
EN-, measure out our currants with his
own hands in the quart-cup, and then
charge mother the sum of nine cents
as the price thereof ~
"Oh, pho," cried Jack, "you don't
intend | should believe that?'
1t is 4 fact" returned Charley
OF course mother was happy to pay
for the currants, and didn't mind the
trouble of picking them. 1t ism,
anything worth telling of, only you
see I've never envied Squire Jones
in fact, have rather piticd him ever
since"
We'll, Charley, that isn't the kind
of rich man You and | will be- But
there's Colonel Smith--he enjoys life
doesn't he? He gives away money,
free as air. He drives the fastest
horses, and each of his children has a
beautiful little pony, all to themselves,
and then such u splendid house
Beautiful pictures, and vases, and
bronzcs, and statuettes, grand piano,
and harp, and all sorts of musical in
struments, and then the finest conser-
vatory in the city--a real winter gar
den, with fountains always playing,
and little birds flying about among
the choicest fruits and flowers. All,
Charley you can't deny that it would
be delightful to live in such q para
disew
"Did you ever hear how he got hi.
wealth ?" said Charley, in half
stifled voice.
No how was il ?"
"By liquor selling. He began witt
a little dram-sclling shop, and worked
his way up to a fashionable rcstau'
rant and then that was not enough,
SO he went into the Wholesale manu-
featuring business. They say man
died in his house once that was
when he lived in the dram-shop. The
wife had been to Mr. Smith, and beg.
wcd and entreated him with tears, not
to sell the poison to the poor infatua
ted man but he turned her out Of the
door with brutal blow. 1t is toe
horrible to tell Of, Jack and then he
doesn't do such things now, now that
he is rich enough to retire from bust
ness. But | don't wonder he has tc
drive fast horses to get away from the
thought Of it. Ugh l should think
that beautiful house would be haunt
ed. l should think he would want
harps, and pianos, and singing birds
too, to drown the echo of that woman's
prayers, and her husbands insane
howlings, when the fiend spirits hat
him in their hold. Sooner than bt
rich in that way"
ooh :! well, well, Charley, we won
be that sort of rich men neither
Surely there are enough honest way
of getting money!"