Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-10-13
Out of the Wrong Pocket.

. the sum total.
"There must be some mistak
Mary" he said, pushing back h
> plate, with desperate air; at is al
: sOlutely impossible for us to hay
used all these things in one month
''The bills are correct, John," wa
! the meek response; 81 looked thel
= over myself"
"Then one thing is certain, prov
/, sions are either wasted-thrown ou
' of the window, as it were-or ste
len! Jane has relatives in the plac,
7 and 1 haven't the least doubt bu
that she supports them entirely on
of what she stealsr' II
Mrs. Taggard's temper was evi
IDENTIFY rising; there were two roun'
crimson spots upon her cheeks, AM
she tapped her foot nervously upol
the floor.
! 81 am neither wasteful nor ex
travagant, John. And as for Jane
know her to be perfectly homes
and trustworthy"
''1t is evident that there is leal
somerhere, Mary; and it is you
duty, as wife, to find out where il
is, and stop it. Our bills are per.
fectly enormous; and if this sort Of
thing goes on much longer, shall
be bankrupt
Mrs. Taggard remained silent
trying to choke down the indignant
feelings that struggled for utter.
ance.
"You will have to order some COAL
she said, at last; "we have hardly
sufficient for the day."
"Is there anything more, Mrs.
Taggard?" inquired her husband,
ironically.
"Yes; neither myself nor the chill
dren are decently or comfortably
clothed; all need an entire new out
| fit"
"Go on, madam. AS am a man
of unlimited means, if you have any
other wants 1 hope you won't be
at all backward about mentioning
EN-"
II don't intend to be-" was the
quiet, but spirited reply. II would
MT 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 I
am ashamed to have any one call
And the stairs need re-carpeting,
the blinds and gate repaired, and
the fence painted"
"That can't be all, Mrs. Taggard.
Are you sure there isn't something
else?'
81 don't think of anything just
now, Mr.. Taggard; though if there
should be few dollars over and
above what these would cost, they
won't come amiss. I should like to
have little change in my pocket, if
only for the novelty of the thing
Ou ncc1n feaf It's %boiaG wa6tcd.
Mr.. Taggard was evidently not
little astonished at this sudden out
break in his usually quiet and pa
tient wife, but who, like most woman
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 indulgent husband. His mind
seemed to be entirely filled 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
common comforts of life. And vet
Mrs. Taggaad knew that he was not
only in receipt of a comfortable in
come from his business, but had
laid by surplus, yearly ever since
their marriage.
She taxed her ingenuity to save
in every possible way, but when the
monthly bills were presented the
same scene was enacted, only it
grew worse and worse.
And this penuriousness 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 Of
ten felt ashamed Of him, inwardly
wondering if he could be the same
man who had wooed and won her.
With a heavy sigh Mrs. Taggard
took up the roll of bills upon the
table, hoping to find enough to pay
what was already due-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 look of quiet determina-
tion 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; al
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 re |
carpeted and papered, the broken
doorstep mended, and the fence
and blinds painted and repaired. |
She then took the children out, and
got them new garments from hats
to shoes. She bought herself three