The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-11-02
One evening Charles came home With q neu

4 I'LL nam @hOb 6o(SS
"I'm sure 1 can't guess"
"Oh, but try-guess something.
"Wel, perhaps ten dollars"
HTen dollars" ECHOED Charles, with a sort O
y disappointed look. "Why what are you think
ing Of? Sack Cummings bought this chail
two months ago, and paid twenty dollars cas-
for it! Why, just beft it and see how heav.
it is. Eighteen carats fine. Jack was hard "
for money, and let ME have it for twelve dol
lars"
alt is cheap, to be sure" returned Hannah
but yet with not SO n-uch plcasurable surprise
as her husband had anticipated. "But," sh'
added, .'you did not need it, and l fear yor
will feel the loss of the money"
"Pooh l have money enough. You know
[ have not spent much money lately. l have
been pretty saving"
"But YOU forgot our things, Charles. TIE
money you have on hand is not yours"
"Not mine!'
"No. It belongs to the storekeeper, and to
the butcher, and to the landlord. gu know
they must be paid" :.
don't YOU fret about them. l know 1t
don't cost me near twelve dollars q week to
live. for / have made an estimate. There is
WuLins#k work right by the side of nc in
the shop, he has four children, and only gets
the same money that 1 do; and yet he lays TIP
three or four dollars every week, besides pay
ing the rent
"Yes,"said Hannah, III know how he does /;
I was in to see his wife the other day, and she
was telling how we'll they were getting along.
Mr.. Wilkins takes his basket every Saturday
evening and goes over to the market and buys
his weeks quantity of meat and vegetables,
and trades for cash, So that he gets everything
to the best advantage. SO he Goes at the store.
He lays in a quantity of all those articles which
will keep, and buys them as cheap as he can.
Butter, eggs, cheese, apples, and SO on /; he
buys when the market is full, and when they
are always cheap, and he always buys enough
to last him over the season of scarcity, when
such things are high. His butter, for instance,
he bought for eighteen cents a pound-awhole
frkin Of it-and it is much sweeter than that
for which you paid twenty-eigit cents yester-
day"
man in surprise.
"Mr. wilkins got fifty dozen of eggs some
time ago, for twelve cents a dozen, and his wife
packed them down, and they keep well. You
will have to pay Mr.. Waldron thirty-three
cents for those he sent up yesterday"
j. Charles Matthews was somewhat astonished
at this view of the case, but it could not be
helped now, and the subject was d.opped.-
His gold chain had lost its charm. 1t did not
look so well, even i'll his own eyes, as had the
sln,rle black cord which he had worn before.
At length the end of the quarter came round.
The first bill paid was the rent, which amount
ed to thirty-one dollars. The next was the
butchers bill, which came to thirty six dollars.
Charles was astonished to see how the meat bill
footed up. But when he saw how many steaks
he had at seventeen cents per pound, the cause
of wonder was at an end. Next he paid the
bakers bill, which was thirteen dollars. When
he came home in the evening, he paid all his
bills, except the grocery bill.
"Mr. Waldron sent in his bill to-day" his
wife said, after supper.
"Ah, did he?-let me see.'
Hannah brought It, and Charles looked at it.
He was astonished at its length, and when he
came to look at the bottom of the column, his
face turned a shade pale. 1t footed up just
sixty-fve dollars-an average of five dollars
per week!
ssThis is impossible !' he uttered as he gazed
upon it. But he examined the different. arti-
cles, and he would remember when he ordered
them. These things which cost "only adollar,"
looked very innocent when viewed alone, but
the aggregate had a different appearance.
GLOW much shall you lay up this quarter,
Charles 90 kindly asked his wife, as she came
and leaned over her husbands shoulder, and
parted the hair on his forehead and smoothed
it back.
CHOW much shall 1 lay up ?" he repeated.
- OF IlGCH. NCG III SldJc IL leu US T6ChOH.
Charles was determined to be frank about
the matter, and let his wife know all.
The slate was brought. First Hannah put
down one hundred and ffty-six dollars as the
quarters wages. Then came the rent, and the
butcher and the baker.
"Now put down twelve dollars for this chain
and put twelve dollars for sundries-that
means. tobacco, cigars, nuts, beer, soda, theatre
tickets, and such like things. Now take all
that from my quarters wages, and see how
much remains. LI5
Hannah performed ths sum and gave fifty
two dollars as the result.
'tFifty-two dollars p uttered Charles, sink
ing back into the chair, "and we have not
bought an article of clothing or furniture
Fifty-two dollars with which to pay sixty-ive.
There is thirteen dollars short of this quarter,
and I had meant to save thirty at least"
DWELL, it's no use to mourn over it, said the
wife in a cheerful tone, for-she saw that her
husband felt badly. "Let US commence again.
There is nothing like trying you know"
For some moments Charles remained silent.
gazed upon the bill he held in his hand,
then upon the figures upon the slate, and then
upon the floor. At last he spoke. There was
a peculiar light in his eyes, and a flush upon
his countenanee.
"Hannah, I see where thet roublo is, and I
must freely admit that I have been wrong. If
l had paid for everything as [ bought it, I
should not have been where I now IN in pc
c%uniary matters. You were right. I see it
all. l have not estimated the value of money
as I ought. Let me once get up again to
.heres.I began, and L will do differently. l
must step Town to the store this evening and
pay Mr.. Waldron what L have, and the rest I
will pay him when I am able"
"That matter can be easily settled" said
Hannah, with a bright, happy look. ~ have
more than enough to make up the amount of
that bill. 1t is money I had when we were
Wait a moment"
Charles protested earnestly against taking
MS wife's money, but she would listen to no
argument on that subject. It was her will and
he must submit. So he went Town and paid
Up the grocery bill, and on his way home he
his chain for fourteen dollars. He felt