The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-11-01
CAN'T GET ALONG.
Or, the Right Kind Of a Wifi.

A-tl- 4-dt cDllt fryp-c C4d -t- 'A- 80
comfortably on a thousand dollars year.
We cannot 90 IT,"
'II4 sure try 70 ecolOmise al | cau,
returned Mrs. Han. sadly. for Size felt that
her husbands remark was more than hall
intended Is reflection upon her. only
keep one GIRL and DO nearly AL my own
sewing
y don't blame you. Harriet, sad her
husband. ~ am sure I don't. I know
+ y0U work harl 700 harl I ottc, a'-t j.
were easier i3r You. But what e. .r-
Ny salary is only thousand doi.ars. Ani
yet that IS all Hawkins receives. au0 De-
seems % GET al0n- as smoothly. ana even
lays by. be tells me. = hundred dollars q
year"
II don't know how they do IT," renlied
Mrs. Hall Il know tina Mrs. Ha0 Aigs
doesn't work half as harl as 3O though
her house always looks i'm better order than
mine They have better furniture than we
have and am sure Mrs Hawkins clothes
cost double what mine DO. ! don't think
il j. ny fault
Il don't say il Is. Harriet I believe
l0u dp Your part the best you know how
But something must be wr0ng somewhere
Other people can live comfortably ON a
thousand dollars year while we are owing
bills to ths that and the other one. Here
l. the quarters biil for groceries. amount
ing u S.Xty-iive dollars and owe seventy
10 my tailor besides. Then there is am uu-
settled h'li NJ the provision store Of fifteen
or twenty dollars besides the rent. bread
blll, ami don't know how many other
bills
Il wish these bills were not allowed to
run on. replied Mrs Hail: q" AIN sure 1t
col
everything n we get along"
- II would bu, we haven't the n.ousr
to do 30 Wi,h. takes nearly my wa.r.
quarters salary, regularly, to pay of tae
bills OF three mOnths-then there's no way
20 live bat 10 20 Oh trust for three months
longer. It's Ii bad system. ] admit. but
there appears 10 be no remedy for IT inst
now"
And in the full conviction that there was
no help for it. Mr.. Hall drew his quarters
I salary OF two hundrod and fifty d0llarS avid
went and paid OIL bills and borrowed money
debts amounting 10 two hundred dollars.
Then giving his wife ten dollars to bay lit
tie things with, be started under a feeling
of Encouragement on = new quarter with
but forty dollars in his pocket. Although
he had paid two hundred dollars OF debt,
there was almost IN equal amount still
hanging over him for settlement.
Mr. Hall was 4 clerk in a bank where he
was engaged regularly from eight o'clock
in the morning until about f0ur O'Clock and
sometimes five in the afternoon lie lived
in 4 house for which be paid two hundred
dollars year, and paid his tailor from q
hundred 10 one hundred and fifty dollars
annually. He carried a gold watch that
cost eighty dollars. and wore chain for
which he had paid forty. He also INDUCED
in one or two expensive breastpins, and
before his family bad become as large as at
present had spent great deal OF money
on jewelry for his wife. But the dropping
in of one child after another until the
number grew TO five. interfered with these
little indulgencies very materially, and
and called so loudly for self-denial that the
appeal could not be entirely disregarle1.
I But the self-denial was practsed more bl
Mrs. Hall-much mOre-than by her hus-
band She denied herself almost every
thng-even sufficient rest for her over
, wearied body while he went on in most
things about the same as he had done when
he and his wife paid eight dollars week
for their boarding, and had just the same
income they had at the present time. But
let Us look into this present way OF doing
things, and see if it is not possible to dis
, cover what appeared to be so great puz-
zle and mystery.
On the day after Mr.. Hall had spoken 81
3 despOndingy TO his wife, he spent for to-
hsccO and cigars eighteen cents; for lunch
con and a glass OF wine sangaree. twelve
and half cents more and in toys Tor The
children fifty cents. He also bought
4 bottle OF wine, for which be paid seventy
T FIVE cents. These items amounted to on,
ILL I --fx- I
N 4 single day. On the next he paid his bar
ber's bill for three months, which was thre,
dollars and a half: and his boot blacks bill
which was two dollars. Luncheon ant
), some cakes for the children cost twenty
five cents; and very pretty paper-fode
that struck his fancy, the trifle OF twenty
five cents more. Here were six dollars 70
the second day, nearly all of which h'
might have saved, if he had shaved him
self and blacked his own boots, 10 do eiihe
of which he would have been far nor
praisworthey. honorable and genteel, thai
5 10 indulge in the luxury of a barber an,
boot-black and let his wife work herself 4
b. death. On the third day he hired a chais
and rode ont with his family. after be ha'
lett the hauk in the afternoon. The chais
, hire was two dollars, and toll gates and re
ireshments tor all fifty cents additional
Already, in luncheon and cigars. and othe
trifing matters, a half dollar had been ex
pended by Mr. Hall in the fore part Of u
day so that on the third dav OF the week
three dollars We're expended unnecessaril
During this time, marketing, shoes for on
OF the children. and sundry other expense.
incident 10 large family, six dollars melte
from his hands
On the evening after the ride Mr. Ha
took out his pOcket-bOok and counted hi
r. money. To bis utter astonishment an
almost dismay. he found that be had onl
gs twenty-three dollars and half He coul
ted it over and over again but could DC
make 4 cent more. Three davs before
had forty dollars. Where could sixtee
and I half dollars have flown to. he ha
never spent it. And that. 10 his min,
was perfectly clear.
Have you taken any money from n
pocket book he asked OF his wife
No" was the reply.
Ss We'll something must have gone wit
b., about ten dollars. have but tV'enty-thr,
and half. forty two three DAYS ago.
course I haven't spent sixteen dollars az
over in three davs.r
Certainly not But where could II =
Have you counted right
money again to see if there were no nj
take.
It's too true. have but twenty-thr
ed dollars and hall"
=. Are you sure You have not spent it
something :" suggested Mrs. Hall "Hc
else could It have gone.'
Some one must have given NE wrOI
change. l gave the carriage driver q f
- dollar bill. Let NE see what change
ET he gave me-
he Mr. Hall ran quickly over the money
pa, MS pOcket-bOok
ac- " Yes. here's q three dollar hill He ga
'ur me the right change
er Mr.. Halls mind was in great perplevit
NJ His income vas small enough compared
ng his expenses, and therefore TO lose sight
-cn ten dollars he felt 70 be no trlfiing matter
az -J suppose you count up what y0u "a
lie spent = suggested Mrs. Hall and :
aer how much It IS, exactly. Perhaps you ha
'rs laid out more than you think for.
~ j have not laid out the half Of sixte
,ci- dollars. But viii count up.
xnt In the first Dlacp tho <Dar1 1f-or f,r -,