Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-07-11

bounding in from school, at noon, rosy
and bOistcrOus.
"Mamma mamma want fifty
cents for my now Geography, and Tom
my wants quarter for his slatel Tom
my's going into the ciphering class,
mamma
"Go to your father, my dear" said
Mrs. Dater; and the pdter fanatics
slowly disbursed the requisite funds,
silently pursuing up his mouth into Il
whistling pose ~ hr did 50.
"PapaI papa ~ stormed little Tom
my, Gathering up stairs a minute or
two afterwards with all the combined
cncrgy of coppcr-tOcs and irOn-nailcd
heels Ellen wants Il bottle OF olive
oil 10 make dressing for the celery sal
al. Can | go to the grocery after il?
Can l. papa? Give us dollar!o
Mr. Dater looked at the dollar and
thought of the cool delicious celery sal
ad--his greatest gastronomic temptation.
The latter consideration proved TOO
strong for economy.
"Run along, then, my son, and make
haste"
"Can / have ten cents forsome orang-
e., papa"n pleaded the child.
"Ycs. Go along!'
After dinner, during which he did
ample justice to the celegy salad Mr..
Dater lay down ON the lounge for his
usual sicsta. No sooner, however, did
the drowsy influence of Morpheus begin
to steal over his cyeljds than Bcnnie'a
voice interrupted the dreamy lapse of
/ forgettuluess.
"Papal !" cried the boy, Mary said
was to give you this bill"
"Bills! more bills!' calculated poor
Mr.. Dater, sitting up with suddonness
that made Bonnie start. us life one
| tremendous bill?-one endless siege Of
! your pocket"'
" sometimes think so,u said Mrs
| Datcr, who was singing her baby 10
/ sleep by the tiresidc, in the soft, low
cadcnccs that mothers learn by instinct.
Six dollars is il possible that we, Il
moderately sized family, burn six dol
lars worth of gas in a month ~ he eX-
claimed, reproachfully.
Il tried, a while ago, to cconomize in
the gas, Edward, - said his wife, but you
scolded me for making the house rs
! gloomy as a cavern -
Without another word Mr.. Barter paid
the obnoxious bill, and lay back upon
! the lounge with a sigh that might have
come from the Cave of the WindsW
For just one hour he lay there, silent
and motonless, but not asleep. At the
end of that time he spoke out.
"Mrs. Dater ~
"YcsD
"Here are your keys"
"Thank you. Have you given house
keeping sufficiently long trial ?'
"Do you always have so many bills to
pay in single day?'
" Not always. The gas bill is a special
expense, and the boys don't have new
shoes every day. But there are other in
cidental expenses, and, altogether, to-
day is a pretty fair specimen of the
various demands levied upon my purse. !"
I" Do you know how much money
have spent to-day?
"Ycs. Twentyfour dollars and fiji
teen cents, is it not ?"
"Yes.n
There was a dead silence of a few mo-
ments.
"My dear" said Mr.. Dater at length,
81 have been wrong"
81 thought men were never wrong,
remarked Mrs. Dater, satirically.
Her husband cOughed behind his
hand, wisely contriving not to hear the
speech.
-" And" he went on, in measured ac-
cents, ~ think | shall increase your
housekeeping allowance. Instead of
one hundred and fifty dollars l shall
henceforward give you tUo hundred and
fifty dollars amonth."
" AS special favor, or as q mere mat
ter Of right and justice? demanded the
lady.
GAS q mere matter of right and JUS
tice, my dear" said docile Mr.. Dater.
Every we'll, - said Mrs. Dater, with a
merry twinkle in her blue eyes, and a
sympathetic CULVER of her coral mouth.
81 shall endeavor not to spend it fool
ishly.n
"And now think | had better go to
my Office, ell ?'' said Mr.. Dater.
perhaps it would be as we'll" re-
sponded his wife, trying hard not to
show too triumphant a consciousness of
the signal victory she had just achiev-
ed.
From that December day Mr.. Dater
never questioned his wife's expenditure
or doubted its wisdom. ''~
"WOmen know best" he whispered,
darlNy TO his most confidential friends.
"And-this is strictly betweenourselves,
now-I wouldn't go through with the
daily botherand worry of house keeping
for ten: shines the money they spend. !
Wouldn't indeedn
And what man would |?