Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-05-03
4 STORY OF RENT DAY,

ter of business, after ALL" And he threw of i
snow sprinkled overcoat, laying il the snug loo;
ing lounge his wife had drawn before the FIRE &
his own accommodation, while the snowr psrticl =
fell in perfect Shove a warm cushion.
GLOW, JOhn7' replied his wife, as she look G. :
up with CHEEKY smile.
"Thls is rent day, yos know, and collechl
rent is not always prosperous business. Il
like pulling teeth to re, money from some peopl'
Now there's old Rusgles. he pays the none
grudgihgiy as though he not able to pay thres
times the amount, which I know he Is. And Jo
seph Winch. suppose he did have hard time {,
raise it. but he made qste hard a job Of payip;
IT,"
ooh. never mind, Husband. I hope YOU wsrn't
hard on him; work is dull, you know, aud money
is difficult TO get"
al acknowledge the truth of,he concluding Dor
tion of your remark; money is difficult t. get.
where it is honestly due; and so found it to-day
But succeeded tolerably after all. Even tht
Widow Webb pIid TO t'le last cent, aud that Was
more than hoped for'
"Oh. John.' said his wife, in depreeatinG
tone
Mr.. Early seemed TO vince little under the
implied repro lf, and So said, apparently in sell
justification:
"Why Mary, you know business is business,
snd why shouldn't she pay bcr rent as well as any
body esel'
Now M. Early Was not, by any means q hard
hearted man. Yet fortune had placed him in the
position Of landlord; AMI between tenants thst
couldn't pay, and tenants that wouldn't pay, he
had finally been drilled into an outer seeming Of
hardness Whenever he anticipated uncommon
difficulty in the discharge Of his duties he repeat
cd TO himself the old maxim that "business ID
business" AMI imnedia'ely stcelcd himself to his
task.
Yet his wife knew within this tough she'll there
was a soft kernel of he art. for she had more
81. -
silence and reflection on her part, she resolved
to try if she could not reach il again.
"John." said she, chow much WAS her remit"
"Poh, nothing! don't trouble yourself about
thn. Why it wasn't SO much AZ tina: silk dress Of
yours cost, and you know you leased me into buy
ing that. saving that the sum Was such q mere
trls."
We'll, how much was itf'' persisted Mrs.
Early
Ifyou must know. the qrar.er's rent amounted
to fifteen dollars; ani she paid it too, without .
word Of grumbling"
"It's a small sun TO you and me. l know,
but do you not think she must have struggled TO
raise it,"
Cuisines is business, you know, and i, is not
in my way to think how tho money Is raised, SO
that il is raised"
''Bst how hard it must have been for her to
pay it from her hard lahor1''
"Well, never mind, MIry, don't trouble your
self about it. It's all over now and can't be helped.
Only, If ycu say so, won't be quite go hard an
other time"
"I do say 81, John" said she, rising With wo.
manlike instinct and seating herself besde him
feeling that if she wish ID 10 gain her point (and
she had in the few minutes Of reflection. resolved
upon one,) she mus. make use ofa siie's best
argument.
"There." said she, as she wound her fingers
caresslnsly in his hair. 81 know you did uot mean
TO be exacting. but you were so. after ALI Heard
only day or two age that Mrs. Webb and her
daughter had hard tire to to get along this fall.
Their only dependence for support is their Reedle.
and YOU know that is a very slender one. Now
they have both overworked themselves t. raise
this very money that you have received TO day.
aud Kate has been sick, and fears are entertained
that she will go into a decline"
80 bad as that. dill NOT know l."
"Iknew YOU didn't. Fo. | you have
too good heart to drive poor girl 10 her grave.
and leave o widowed mother. freniless and aOna
in the world. just fer the sake Of = few dollars,
which you would never miss if you did not have il.
Now DO yon not think you ought TO make amends
in some way for your shoughtless acts of cru
eltyl"
"why. yea, 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 then just how the ease
stood"
"Weil give it to me NY. bow full your poek-
ct book is." she exclaimed in affected wonder a.
he uDrolled the ponderous porte fulfe. stuffed and
crammsd with notes and silver. But Sc long
you have your money out you may "a well give
me a little more at once; il will save the trouble
OF asking you again. There don scowl So It's
only trife want. Not so much as those furs
will cost that you are going to buy me for Christ,
mas present"
"Furs. Whew. / hadn't heard Of them be-
FORE"
"Oh. know you haven't yet." she replied
coaXingly, ''but you will between now and Christ
mas--unless you give me what money l want
now. Let me see; the turs you going 10 buy
me will cost seventy five dollars; but / will Les
you off till next winter il you will give-Oh don't
stare so-thrty five dollars now
Thirty five dollars. what III
"Never mind the EXPLANATIONS now" said she
with roguish SMILE laying her handI( and pretty
one il was too) over his mouth. Count out the
money first, and iii give you leave to express
your establishment sfterward."
"Tell me first what you want il for" said Mr..
Early, "a soon as his speech was restored to him,
TAX ing advantage of husbands prerogative, .
right established by precedent at least Of question
Ing in such matters.
"Tell you what want il forl Oh. Of coursei I
will am going to invest it for you"
"Wsn, well, Mary, when man is defeated by
his own wife. he doesn't exactly like. for his Dig
nity's sake, to acknowledge IT, It's equivalent to
letting her wear the-you know what.''
"Oh. never mind your dignity. Twas never
particularly Impressed by il; and ~ for wearing
the articles Of which you speak, any smart wife
manages to do that any how, just as do when
you give me that-ten and ten twenty, and fyo
are twenty five, and ten thirty five, and fifteen
have already makes fifty. That's all right, and
you are a dear good husband"
The pretty little hand closed over the coveted
treasure, and the full rosy lips performed THAR
appropriate Office and it hard TO tell which
seemed the best satisfied, the husband or the
wife.
Before mrny days went BY. there was a joyous
surprise at the unprctending dwelling Of the widow
Webb snd her daughter Catharine, delicate girl
of eighteen or theseabouis, who seemed pale and
emaciated from recent illness: but at the sight oil
the splendid and long coveted sewing machine
that at first tey could not believe but il had been
left there by mistake, until she had re-read more
than once the accompanying card With her own
name in full and the umber of her residence up
on 1.-THE blood danced joyfully from her heart
up to her cheeks, and tingled in her fingers ends.
at the certain prospects Of better Gays in store for
them.
At first they could obtain no clue 10 their kind
benefactor; but the truth finally leaked out. And
if ever gratitude swe elled the breasts Of human
beings, it did theirs toward their landlord, whom
they had hitherto considered 50 harsh and un-
relen,ing and also to his pretty and kind hearted
wife.
When next rent day came, Mr.. Early had not
IL