The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-05-01

looking alnshouse Nothing during tht
first year Of our marriage could dispel tht
illusion that this was to be the terminu,
Of my mercantile career a sacrifice of the
household furniture, and q permanent
Imprisonment 10 the establishment espec
ia!iY provided for reckless paupers. My
Little wife, however, fought strongly
against this foreshadowed horror and KEEP,
wakeful watch and ward over those ia.
s'dl0us ma'audeFs the household ex
pendituros while the solitary servant
received lectures in quiet way, suck as
doubtless would have astonished and con-
founded Adam Smith himself. | can
safely say that nothing was wasted except
on beggars, and they a2ckad to the house
in regimentSaDd battallions. Professional
begsars they were, every one Of them,
farm 1 upon the public by some italian
or other vagabond foreigner. I dislike
boggars myself It's not a business like
way Of getting a living | don't object
to the feeding Of the bungry-in fact, !
protest energeticaily agains: aGy suffering
Of the kind. No enc can attend to bust
sess on al empty stomach but, as I pay
my taxes, | am opposed to the city faith
els allowing a set Of vagab0uds making a
trade of begging, and extracting sig
Peuce5 from the unprotected Of the CON
muuity, through a recital Of fictitious
.sorrows. i firm belief iu the outrageous
romances, invented BY these ragged har-
pies was an unhappy weakness with Alice,
whose sympatlies we're always iosta1ta.
neously awakened ct the frsI whine Of a
sturdy meDdjcant. The moment one of
these imPostcrs made his appearance the
almsh0use was forgotten, aud away weut
the savings Of economical housekeeping.
Her NbeTal.ty in this respect was SO
startling that | was obliged to put stop
TO 1t at last By borrowing all her silver
change on the Pretext of requiring it in
my business. with the additional check Of
cutting off farther supplies. l was com
PEELED to succumb, however, as | couldn't
stand Alice's tears, which she "gave to
misery being all she had (see another
Of the disreputabie poets, SO, fearing the
drawing room would float away on ''end-
less weeping" l gaze up, furnished the
supplies, and tacitly encouraged the in
posters-one of the most uubusiness like
transactions l was ever engaged 10.
One Of the consequences Of this morbid
dread Of poverty entertained BIZ Alice in
our early married life, was a persistence
on her part Of indulgiDg in a species Of
practical economy, the point Of which
could not be brought to see. She would
Insist on the advisibility of making her
purchase Of dresses, and such woman gear
from PeddleTs-a race Of people who no
doubt descended from the Wandering
Jew. The most obnoxious specimen Of
,he race who constantly haunted the
premises, was an cid Teutonie female,the
pOssessor Of a weazea face, an uuearthlg
grin and BabsIish tongue, equal to the
cf the Father of Lies 10
person. She generally made her appear
ance with a huge white bundle on her
back, suggesting the suppositlon that she
had arrived from plundering some Sum
ner-deseTted mansion, and had bolted
with everything she could lay her hands
9n, Including a white MarseilIes bed
quilt which always surrounded the mYs-
.erious stock 10 trade. Ialways objected .
10 this female but it wasn't Of the
slightest use, as | was convinced after a
short argument that my objections being
BASED upon a profound ignorance Of the
whole subject, were frivolous aud u0raa-
'onabla. La fact | was SO Completely
5Ebdued that a short time subsequent 10
Iy ignoninious defeat, | found myself
wearing sone czecrabIe socks, once
portion Of the contents Of the white bun.
pie which, Ike Pilgrim's, seemed con
tautly glued to the old woman's back
L is my opinion she slept on it.
There was one class Of these wandering
renders from whose infections | consid.
red myself safe, l felt confident that
Alice would never exhibit that almost
universal weakness Of her sex, shown in
disposition to be fascinated BY the
amP;iDg bargains offered by dealers in Il
'ases, cut glass bottles, etc.-these peri.
Datetic vag bonds who don't want money,
ut who do want old clothes NJ conf
icnce IN this respect was based upon the
act that l myself was supposed to under
tand the value ofsuch merchandise. The
history Of sieges shows however, that it
; the unguariei strong point which often
ais before the attack Of an insidious foe
some irreverent Freuehuau has traced
IN appropriate parallel between a woman
md fortress; | shall not quote the pithy
lpOthegm which precedes his fauciful
for the best Of all possible
reasons, have forgotten its exact phrase, .
a0d all who are ignorant Of the French
language will 20 doubt lift up thei; hands
% thankfU.ness. | shall content myself