Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1861-02-14
5HigttllQneuus.
A Gold Watch In Il Rag-Rag.
A TRUE STORY.

Fortunes DO not always spring from great
investments of ten thousand dollar capitals.
Small savings are oitentlmes the germs OF
wealth and ndependence--cent upon cent,
half dime upon half dime, dollar upon dollar
these are the foundations that most fre-
quently uphold golden structures. Never
suffer yourself to say-'It's only a cent or
two-not worth saving Only cent or two !!
Put it back into your pocket-kecp it there,
and it will be great deal easier for you to
say 'No' to yourself when the impulse comes
to squander dollar or two or even hun
dred dollars or twOl
Not even pin, not even q Stray piece Of
twine. not even scrap Of wLite cloth, is too
worthless to save. You never will grow rich
by piling money together, as long as you do
no. understand the practical meaning OF the
good old proverb, Waste not, want not
Perhaps a little anecdote--a simple re,a-
ton Of facts that really happeued--ma serve
10 illustrate our subject better than aught
else
A lady in the vicinity bridgeport, Conn,
was in the habit Of putting out shirts to make,
for a large clothing establishment, to a num-
Der of women in the noghbUrhOod. In the
cutting OF these there were a great many lit
tie odds and ends Of cloth left over--peces
too small to be of use. and the first thought
was, OF course, to toss them into the fire.
NO she reflected; i will save them as
they accumulate, and perhaps may get C.
nough to exchange with the tlHman Tor som.
kitchen article or other 90
So she let them lie, housewfe-lke, and in
a few weeks there was quite pile.
One day neighbor came in, and on hear
ing the destination of the scraps, advised that
they should he sent to Il paDer-mlll, 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
a few rags more or less seemed trivial affair.
DO as you like. SAID he, laughingly, you
may have all the money you can make cut Of
the rags.
She took him at his word, and in two or
three months, some half dozen barrels # rags
were sent by some one who was going in the
direction oil the paper-mil. To her surprise
aud pleasure, new, rustlng five dollar bill
came back.
Again the impulse to send it for some lit
tie ornament was checked.
NO she resolved; 'aII my rag-moncy shall
go into the savings bank
And into the savings bank it went, accord
ingly. Years rolled by-mOre rags were saved
and sod-inteTest and principal accumulated.
At length au UNUSUAL opportunity presented
itself for the purchase Of beautiful gold
watch Forty dollars vas the price.
4 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 useiulH
The gold watch was purchased--li.erally
with rags. We will not pause to chronicle
the envy and astonishment Of those ladies OF
the vicinity to whom gold watch was as
unattaiuable as the kohinoor diamond, yet
who thought it was not worth while to save
the clippingings from their work tables
| Yet, this was not the end Of it. The bank
| fund Of which the bundle Of rags was the or
igin, now amounts to over tTenty:GCe hun
dred iolarsi
Il 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-a little interest added on from
time to time--it has grown up, almost with
out thought or care on my part.
Reader is not this example worth follow
ing? Our moral is simple one--save the
trifes, if you would be rieh.-Life IRustrq-
ted.