The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-11-05
WILL IT PAY.

"Heigho, Charley" cried CHEEKY voice
under my window, " what would you give
to own such splendid house as that over
the way2 All don't wish was rich p"
"Well, 90 ahead, Jack, be rich if you
want to; | dom. see anything to hinder.
I've heard ny father say that boy not
unidentified, with good health and a fair
start, can do aim ost anything he wants to
do in a 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 will be the best of. Come, ono, two,
three, and away!"
81 don't know, Jack, as care about be-
ing go very rich. 1t costs too much; it
dom, pay"
"Costs? Why, you don't buy money
with money, do you?"
No, but sometimes with what is far
better than money. You know the owne.
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. lie is
| almost always nutte.ing to himself when
he walks tottering through the streets, and
his face is gloomy az thunder cloud. They
don't call him crazy it is hypo-something
or other with long name. They cay he is
in continual fear of becoming poor and his
family going to the aims house; soms Of
them deserve it enough to be sure. But,
say Jack, what's the use of having wealth
if yon 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 a word of the aims house
have heard. My father is freer and hap
pier, and, as far as the good of it goes,
richer than Judge Stone, with his splendid
house and half million in the banks"
"Oh, we'll, Charley, III risk the gray
hairs and the 'hypo for either you or me.
He mast have been a 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? ?" -
"Ho, ho p laughed Charley, s'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, as schoolgirls
do, you know. Well, after they were mar
ried, they settled down beside each other,
as it happened Mr.. Jones living in an old
farm house that belonged, suppose, to his
greas-graudfathsr, and we in dear little
cottage, that has been pulled down now, to
soOH IVE tudb SEtuL u'StOuc.
Very good friends we all were, and Mrs.
Jones IS really a dear good lady yet. Well,
one summer, | remember, their long rows
of currant bushes were covered with fruit
that rotted and fell off, because there was
no one to use it, and we had none. Mrs.
Jones urged mother to let US come and pick
just as many ss she could use, for pies,
lel!ies, or whatever, so as to save them, she
aoiH 81 aftarpnnu Harry epI I
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 kitchen, measure out our cur
rants with his own hands in the quart cup,
and then charge mother the sum Of nine
cents as the price thereofw
"Ah, pho," cried Jack, "you don't intend
| should believe that 90
1t is a fact" returned Charley. "Of
course, mother was happy to pay for the
currants, and | didn't mind the trouble of
picking. 1t isn't anything worth telling of,
only, you zee never envied Squire Jones;
in fact, have rather pi,ied him ever since"
"WeIl, Charley. thai isn't the kind of rich
men you and will be. But there's Colonel
Smith-he enjoys life, doesn't he? He
gives away money, free as cir. He drives
the finest horses, and ench Of his children
has beautiful little pony, all to themselves.
And then such splendid house! Beautiful
pictures, and vases, and bronzes, and stat
uettes, grand piano, and harp, and all sorts
of musical instruments; and then the finest
conservatory 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 dslightful to live in
sucn paradise!"
"Did you ever hear how be got his
wealth." said Charley, in half-stiaed
voice.
"No; how was it?''
"By louour- selling. He began with
little dram selling shop, and worked his way
up to fashionable restaurant; and then
that was not enough, so he went into the
wholesale manufacturing bushes. They
say man died Of delirium tremens in his
house once-that was when he lived in the
dram shop. The wife had been to Mr..
Smith, and begged and entreated him, with
tears, not to sell the poison to the poor
infatuated man ; but he turned her out Of
the door with brutal blow. 1t is too hor-
o' DO snenI ,e nIsll Of, jack; and then he doesn't
en- enough to retire from bpnsow now that he is rich
wonder lie has to drive fast 'nuRt.us Rus oon
away from the thought Of it. Ugh! - ~.
that beautiful house must be haunted. I
should think he would want harps, and
pianos, and singing birds too, to drown the
echo of that woman's prayers, and her hus-
bands insane howling., when the tiend
spirits had him in their hold. Sooner than
be rich in that way"
"Oh! well, well, Charley, We won't be
tina. sort of rich men, neither. Surely there
are enough honest ways Of getting money!"
81 don't doubt it, Jack. If you don't
sell your very soul for cash, you may make
it pay; if you do, its pretty heavy specu-
lation, to say the least"
"But, Charley, you're really too hard.
You can't say there are not honest and
whole souled men, too, that are wealthy"
"No, don't say any such thing. l only
say, they must have paid, in one way or
another, for their success-if not in health
or good conscience, at least, in time that
could have been used for other purposes.
1t would not be honest, you know, to get
the thing without paying for it. lsn's that
50, Cousin F-?" he continued. IS the
eavesdroPper now appeared honestly at the
window.
cit certainly is, Charley and whether
the things worth having, depends OF course
| on the price you havet to pay. If you would
rather have good education than a great
fortune, and choose to give your time in
exchange for the one, you will not complain
Of lacking the other. II Jack chooses the
great fortune and gets it, you and will not
envy him what we had not the will or in
dustIy to acquire for ourselves. In this
busy age there are thousand ways by which
you can acquire wealth; and wealth honor
ably gained Is certainly not to be despised.
1t is a vast power in the world, and We are
to believe that 'all the powers that be, are
ordained of God.' The only danger is Of
sacrificing treasures moro precious than
gold in the hasty pursuit. If you can gain
the goal, and not lose the pure freshness OF
heart With which you began the race; and
if you can use the power attained, for cui-
ture to yourselves and blessing to Others,
as good stewards of the manifold gifts OF
God, then think it ,ciH pay. But if your
souls have to shrivel away in the process,
I tnl k-r Ill nnprnHAH a..