The national Republican., 1861-02-02
A GOLD WATCH IN A RAG.BAG-A
TRUE STORY.

Fortunes do not always spring from great in.
vestments or ten thousand dollar capitals.
Small savings are oftentimes the germs Of wealth
and independence-cen upon cent, half dime
upon half dime, dollar upon dollar-these are
the foundations that most frequently upheld
golden structures. Never suffer yourself to
say-"t's only cent or two-not worth sa.
vingl" Only cent or wol-Put it back into
your pocket-kecp it there, and it will be a
great deal easier for you to say "No" to your.
self, when the impulse comes to squander a
dollar or two or even hundred dollars or
twoi
Not even q pin, not even stray piece of
twine, not even scrap Of white cloth, is too
worthless to save. You never will grow rich
by piling money together, as long as you do
good old proverb, "Waste not, want not"
Perhaps little anecdote-s simple relation
of facts that really happened-may serve to
illustrate our subject better than aught else.
A lady in the vicinity of Bridgeport, Conn,
was in the habit of putting out shirts to make
for large clothing establishment, to a number
OF women in the neighborhood. In the cutting
ofthese there were great many little odds and
ends Of cloth left over-pieces too small to be
Of use, and the first thought was, of course, to
toss them into the FIRE.
"No," she reflected {" will save them as
they accumulate, and perhaps may get enough
to exchange with the tinman for some kitchen
article or other"
So she let them lie, housewifelike, and in
few weeks there was quite pile
One day neighbor came in, and on hear
ing the destination of the scraps, advised that
they should be sent to paper.mil, at some
little distance.
"They will give you three or four cents a
pound for them," said he, "and that is better
than exchanging them for tin."
She asked her husbands advice. To him q
few rags more or less seemed trivial affair.
ado as you like said he, laughingly, "you
may have all the money you can make out of
the rags"
She took him at his word, and in two or three
months, some half dozen barrels of rags were
sent by some one who was going in the direc
ton of the paper-mill. To her surprise and
pleasure, a new, rustling five dollar bill CO me
back
Again the impulse to send it for some little
ornament was checked.
"No," she resolved; ''all my rag money shall
60 into the savings bank"
And into the savings bank it went, accord
ingly. Years rolled by-more rags were saved
and sold-interest and principal accumulated.
At length an unusual opportunity presented
itself for the purchase Of beautiful gold watch
Forty dollars was the price.
~ will not ask my husband to withdraw any
necessary funds from his business" she thought
"but now is the time to make my rag money
useful"
The gold watch was purchased literally with
rags. We will not pause to chronicle the envy
and astonishment Of those ladies of the vicinity
to whom a gold watch was as unattsinable as the
Kohinoor diamond, yet who thought at was
not worth while" to save the clippings from
their work tables
Yet, this was not the end Of it. The bank
fund, Of which the bundle of rags was the ori.
gin, now amounts to over twenty-five hundred
dotidrs!
al do not know how it has accumulated "
said the lady to us. "a few cuttings and
scraps laid aside whenever | cut out shirts-a
few dollars carried to the bank when went to
the city-s little interest added on from time
to time-it has grown up, almost without
thought or care on my part"
Reader is not this example worth follow,
ingH Our moral is simple one-save the
trfies, if you would be rich h!-Lye Illustrated.