The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-10-28
OUT OF THE WRONG POCKET,

OUT OF THE WRONG POCKET.
Mr.. Taggard frowned as he OBJ
served the pile of bills by his plate
placed there Ly his pa aient, economi-
cal wife, not without a futter at the
heart in anticipation Of the scene
that invariably followed. He aetu-
ally groaned as he read the sum total.
"There must be some mistake,
Mary" he said, pushing back his
plate, with a desperate air; sit is ab-
solutely impossible for us to have
used all these things in one month! !"
"The bills are correct, John," was
the meek response; I looked them
over myself
"Then one thing is certain, pro
visions are either wasted-throWn
out of the window, as it were-or
stolen! Jane has relatives in the
place, and 1 haven't the least doubt
but that she supports them entirely
out of what she stealsl
Mrs. Taggard's temper was evi-
IDENTIFY rising; there were two round
crimson spots upon her cheeks, and
she tapped her foot nervously upon
the floor.
II am neither wastefuI nor extrav-
agant, John. And as for Jane,
know her to be perfectly honest and
trustworthy.
at is evident that there is a leak
sonaea0hers, Mary; and it is your du-
ty,as a wife, to find out where it is,
and stop it. Our bills are perfectly
enormous; and if this sort of work
goes on much longer, I shall be
bankrupt Mrs Taggard remained
silent, trying to choke down the in
dignant feelings that struggled for
utterance.
You will have to order some COAL
she said at last; 1--WE have hardly
sufficient for the day"
SIS there anything more, Mrs. Tag
gard?" inquired her husband, ironi-
cally. "
"Yes; neither myself nor the chill
dren are decently or comfortably
clothed; all need an entire new out
fit"
$50 on, madam. AS I am a man
of unlimited means, if you have any
other wants 1 hope you won't be at
all backward about mentioning 'em." "
81 don't intend to be- was the
quiet, but spirited reply. Il wouldn't
do for another what 1 do for you, for
double my board and clothing.
Both the parlor and sitting room
need re-furnishing; every thing looks
so faded and shabby, that 1 am
ashamed to have any one call. And
the stairs need re-carpeting, the
blinds and gate repairing, and the
fence painting"
"That can't be all, Mrs. Taggard.
Are you sure there isn't something
else" I don't think of anything just
now, Mr.. Taggard; though if there
should be a few dollars over and
above what these would cost, they
won't come amiss. I should like to
have a little change in my pocket, if
only for the novelty of the thing.
You needn't fear its being wasted" "
Mr.. Taggard was evidently not a
little astonished at this sudden out
break in his usually quiet and patient
wife, but who, like most women of
that stamp, had considerable spirit
when it was aroused.
"NoW that you are through, Mrs.
Taggard, perhaps you will let me
say a word. Here is all the money
1 can spare you this month: so you
can make the most Of it."
Laying a roll of bills on the table,
Mr.. Taggard walked to the door;
remarking, just before he closed it,
'that he should leave town on the
next train, to be absent about a
week"
The revery into which Mrs. Tag
gard fell, as she listened to the sound
Of his retreating steps, was far from
being pleasant one. Aside from
her natural vexation, she felt grieved
and saddened by the change that
had come over her once kind and in
dulgent husband. His mind seemed
to be entirely filed with the greed
of gain, the,desire to amass money
not for the sake of the good it
might enable him to enjoy, or con-
fer, but for the mere pleasure Of
boarding it. And this miserly feel
ing grew upon him daily, until he
seemed to grudge his family the com
mon comforts Of life. And yet Mrs.
Taggard knew that he was not only
in receipt of a comfortable income
from his business, but had laid by
surplus, yearly ever since their mar
riage.
She taxed her ingenuity to save in
every possible way, but when the
monthly bills we're presented the
same scene was enacted, only it grew
worse and worse.
And this peDuriOusness extended
to himself. He grudged himself, as
well as wife and children, clothing
suitable to his means and station,
and went about looking so rusty and
shabby that Mrs. Taggard often felt
ashamed of him, inwardly wonder
ing if he could be the same man who
had wooed and won her.
With heavy sigh Mrs. Taggard
took up the roll Of bills upon the
table, hoping to find enough to pay
what was already dHe-she did not
look for more.
An ejaculation of astonishment
burst from her lips as she unrolled
the paper in which it was folded. 1t
contained $500 in bills, and a check
for $500 more.
With a look of quiet determine
ton in her eyes, Mrs. Taggard arose
to her feet. "The family should
now have some of the comforts to
which they were entitled, if. they
never did again"
First she settled every bill a
heavy weight being lifted from her
heart as she did so besides getting
"a fresh supply of fuel and other
comforts. Her next move was to
order new furniture for the sitting
room and parlor, have the hall recar-
peted and papered, the broken door
step mended, and the fence and
blinds painted and repaired. She
then took the children out and got