Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1862-09-16
A STORY FOR RENT d


We'll, Mary said Mr.. EARLY a |5<
vile, as he came in one cold Blu IS
afternoon last winter. and drew ne Il.
ruddy coal fire; well Mary. MOI a + 4
bad day IN the way of business. after 4 4 z
And be threw of his snow sprinklrd .>sr.
coat laying u down on the snug 1not 1t
lounge his wife had drawn before f6o &.
f:r his own accommodation. white Ne
snowy particles fell in q shower over is
warm cushion.
Flow. john" replied bis wife q Is
looked up with a cherry smile
This is rent day, you know, and t|E
iecting rent IS always q prosperous sd =
ness. It's like pulling tooth to get MIA IS
from srme people. Now there's Rnc6 Is.
be gives the money as grulgibely * <I,|
he was not able to pay three t1raes IFS
amount, which know be is. Aod<<5a
winch, suppose be did hape@a hard 11S.e
20 raise 1t. bu. be made quite As hs1 -
job otfpaying i
we're not hard on him; work issl1nll. You
know, and money is difficult to eet.n
Il acknowledge the truth of the eonclud.
Ing portion Of your remark money is diff.
cult to get. even when il is honestly due
and 50 found it to-day. But | succeeded
tolerably after all. Even the widow Webb
paid TO the last cent, and that was more
( than hoped for"
''Oh, John !" said his wife in depreca-
! tory tone
! MIR. Early seemed to whince q little un-
der the implied reproof, and said, appar
emily in self:justifcation,
why. Mary, you know business is bust
ness, and why shouldn't she pay her rent
as well as anybody else 2"
Now MIR. Early was not, by any means.
naturally hardhearted man. Yet fortune
had placed him in the position of landlord
and between tenats that couldn't pay. and
tenants that wouldn't pay, he ha6 finally
been drilled into an outward seeming of
hardness. Whenever he anticipated un.
common difficulty in the discharge of Lis
duties, he repeated to himself the old max
i'm that "business is business" and thus
steeied himself to the task.
Yet his wife knew that within this tough
/ shell there was a sUft kernel of a heart. for
she had more than once found it; and gu.
| alter short tine Of silence and refiection
on her part she resolved to thy if she could
| reach it again.
john" said she, chow much was her
rent"
Pooh nothing; don't trouble yourself
about that. Why 1t wasn't as much as that
last silk of yours cost, and you know YOU
leased me into buying that, saying the sum
was such trifle"
Well. how much was it?" persisted
Mrs. Early
'Ifyou must know. the quarters rent
amounted to fifteen dollars; and she paid
1t too, without a word of grumblingn
at is small sum to you and me, i know
but do You rot think she must have strug-
gled hard to raise it2'
business is business, YOU know. and il
is not IN my way to think how the money
is raised, so that 1t is raised"
oh. John !" again repeated his wife.
There was kind of magic in those words.
They possessed power over him which
she was aware Of, and he felt
well. never mind, Mary. don't trouble
yourself about it. It's all over now, and
can't be telped. ohfysff YOU sa5 rss,sT
won't be so hard next time "
do say so, john" said she. rising
with a womaDiike instinct, aud seating
herself beside him. feeling that if she wish
ed to gain her point land she had, in a few
moments of reflection resolved upon opel
she must make use of wife's best argu.
ments
There" said she. as she wound her
fingers caressingiy in his hair. 81 know
you do not mean TO be exacting, bat you
were so after all. heard only day or
two ago, that Mrs. Webb and her daughter
had had bard time to get along this fall
Their only dependence for support is their
needle. and you knew that is a very slen-
der one. Now they have both tverworked
themselves to raise this money that you
have received to-day. and Kate has been
I NJ faa al. L
go into Decline"
$50 bad as that did not know it."
81 know you didn't. For am sore you
have too good heart to drive a poor girl
t. her grave and leave a widowed mother
friendless and alone in the world, lust for
the sake of few dllars, which you would
never miss. if you did not have. Now do
you not think you ought to make amends
IN some way for your thoughtless act Of
cruelty ?"
why, yes, if only knew how. If YOU
choose. you can take the money back again
and tell them ] wouldn't have been in such
hurry about The rent, if had known just
how the case stood"
well. give it TO me. NY! how fol
your pocket-book is |" she exclaimed in af-
fected wonder,as he unroled the ponderous
porte teuiIe. stuffed and GRAINED with notes
aud silver. 'Thank you. But so long al
{ you have your money out, you may as vel
give me little more at once it will save
, me the trouble of asking you again. There
, don't scold 50. It's only trife / want
Not 80 much as those furs will cost thai
, you are going to buy me for a Christma,
, present"
|, "Furs! Whew hadn't heard of then
+ before"
= "Oh, ! knew you haven't yet," she re.
piled, coaxnsly, but you will between
now and Chrstmss-unless you give mt
what money want now. Let me see tn,
furs you are going to buy me will cos
= seveuty-ive dollars but III let you of un
: I'll next winter if You will give Mech
!. don't stare so-thriy five dollars now"
Thirty five dollars what in ="
y Never mind the exclamation now ,
: said she, with roguish smile, laying he
!. hand land pretty ore it was too) over BIZ
8 mouth. Count the money cot first, anC
n III give you leave to express your aston
3 ishment afterwards"
8 "Teil me first what you want j. for
|. said Mr.. Early, as soon as his speech wa
restored to him, taking advantage of hus
bands prerogative, right established b,
precedent at least, of questioning in sucl
g matt ers.
8 TELL you what want it fort OH o
e course will am going to invest it 70
$ you. 1t will bring you in one hundred pc
cent. and more too. just as long as Mrs
Il Webb is a tenant OF yours"
It "Ilow-what doyUu mean ?"
- why, don't you see-tbers are two ten
there in that roll, and plenty of fves"-
holding ont the same pretty hand that hat
= so uncermoniously damned up the river o
speech flowing from her husbands moutl
but moment before; 'only thirty five dol
= lars. with the fifteen Pve got, will max
= City in all and I'm going to provide Mrs
; Webb and Catherine the means of payini
= their rent easily evarv nnarfar "a snnn n