The Portland daily press., 1871-04-29
SELECTED SION I.
The Managing Wife.

The Managing Wife,
Ezra Newton had just finished looking over
his yearly accounts. "Well, asked his wife,
looking up. show do you come outp'
81 find" said her husband, shat my ex- |
penses during the last year have been thirty |
seven cents over thousand dollars"
"And your income has been thousand
dollars
"Yes. managed pretty well, didn't ?"
"Do you think it managing well 10 exceed
your income?" said his wife.
Whats thirty-seven cents?' asked Mr..
Newton, lightly.
s'Not much, TO be sure but still something.
1t seems to me that we ought to have saved,
instead of falling behind" NM.
"But how can we save on this salary, Eliza
beth? We haven't lived extravagantly. sui
it seems TO have taken 1t all
"Perbaps there is something in which We
might retrench. Suppose you mention some
of your items"
.iThe most important are house rent, one
hundred and fifty dollars, and articles of food,
five hundred dollars"
"Just half"
"Yes, and you'll admit that we can't re-
trench there, Elizabeth. / like to live well.
had enough of poor board before / married.
Now mean to live as well as / can"
'Still we ought to be saving up something
against rainy day, Ezra"
"That would be something like carrying al
umbrella when the sun Shines"
"Stlll it is well to have an umDreila Ill INC
house."
II can't controvert your logic, Elizabeth,
Int am afraid we shant be able to save |
anything this year. When get my salary |
raised. il will be time enough to think of |
that"
"Let me make proposition TO you" said |
W.. 1xolf -
come has been expended on articles of food. |
Are you willing to allow me that sum for the
purpose?"
EYES,"
"Then will shift the responsibility upon
you with pleasure. But can tell you before
hand you won't be able to save much out of
it."
"Perhaps not. At any rate will engage
not 70 exceed it."
"That's well. shouldn't relish having any
additional bills to pay. As am paid every
month, will at each payment hand you half
the money!"
The different characters of husband and
wife may be judged from the conversation
which has been recorded. Mr.. Newton had
but little prudence or foresight. He lived
chiefly for the present, and seemed to fancy
that whatever contingencies might arise in
the future, he would somehow be provided
for. Now, trust in Providence is a very prop
er feeling, but there is a good deal of truth in
the old adage that God will help those who
will help themselves.
Mrs. Newton on the contrary, had been
brought up in family which was compelled
to be economical, and although she was not
disposed to deny herself comforts, yet she felt
that it was desirable to procure them at fair
price.
The time at which this conversation took
place was at the commencement of the Sec
ond year of their married life.
The first step which Mrs. Newton took, on
accepting the charge of the household ex-
penses,swas to institute the practice of pay
ing cash for all articles that came under her
department, She accordingly called on the
butcher and inquired
"How often have you been in the habit OF
presenting your bills, Mr.. Williams?"
ks"Once in six months, was the reply.
"Aud suppose you sometimes have bad
bills?"
Eyes, one-thiid OF my profits on, the aver
age, are swept OFF by Them"
And you could afford | suppose, to sell
somewhat cheaper for ready money!"
"YeS,and l would be glad if all nv GUS
TONERS would give me chance to do So"
81 will set them an example then," said
Mis-. Newton. "Hearafter whatever articles
shall be purchased of you will be paid for on
the spot, and we shall expect you to sell as
reasonable as you can"
This arrangement was also made with the
others, who, it is scarcely needfu to say, were
very glad to enter into the arrangement.
Ready money is the great support of trade,
and cash customer is worth two who pur-
CHASE on credit.
Fortunately Mrs. Newton had small sup
ply of money by her which lasted till the
first monthly installment from her husband
became due. Thus she was enabled to carry
out her cash plan from the beginning.
Another plan which occurred to her as like
~ to save expense, was TO purchase articles
IN large quantities. She had soon saved
enough frCm the money allowed her to do
this. For example, instead of buyins sugar a
ew pounds at time, she purchased barrel,
and so succeeded in saving cent or more on
the pound. This, perhaps, amounted to but
trlne In the course of year, but the same
system carried out it regard to other articles
yielded result which was by no means
trife.
There were other ways in which a careful
housekeeper is able to limit expense which
Mrs Newton did not overlook. With an OBJ.
Ject in view she was always on the lookout to
prevent waste, and to get the full value of
whatever was expended.
The result was beyond her anticipations.
AT the close OF the year, on examining her
bank book-for she had regularly deposited
whatever money she had not occasion TO use
in one OF these institutions-she found that
she had one hundred and fifty dollars besides
reimbursing herself for the money during thes
first month, and having enough to last an
other.
"Well, Elizabeth, have you kept within
your alowance?" asked her husband at this
time. 81 guess you have not found it so easy
to save as you thought for"
81 have saved something, however," said
his wife "How is it with you?"
=" That's more than can saw Houavar 7
have not exceeded my income, that's one
good thing. We have lived full as well, and
don't know but better Than last year, when
we spent five hundred"
tits knack, Ezra" said his wife, smiling.
She was not inclined to mention how much
sheihad saved. She wanted some time or other
to surprise him with it whe n it would be of
some service
"She may possibly have saved up twenty
i've dollars" thought Mr.. Newton, DOR some
such trifie," and SO dismissed the matter from |
his mind
At the end of the second year, Mrs. New
oa' savings, including the INTEREST," amount
"a to three hundred and fifty dollars, and she
began to feel quite rich.
Her husband did not think to inquire how
she had succeeded, supposng as before, that
II could be but very small sum.
However he had piece of good news to
communicate. His salary had been raised
from thousand to twelve hundred dollars.
He added: GAS before allow you one-haJf
my income for household expenses, it is no
more than fair l should do so now. That
vii! give you better chance to save part of |
1t than before. Indeed, don't know how |
you have succeeded in saving anvthin" tbns
far"
AS before, Mrs. Newton merely said that
she hao saved something, without specifying
the amount.
Her allowance was increased to six hundred |
dellars, but her expenses were not proportion |
ally increased at all; so that her savings for |
the third year swelled the aggregate sum in |
the savings bank to six hundred dollars.
Mr.. Newton, on the contrary, in spite of his |
increased salary, was no better off at the end |
of the third year than before. His expenses |
had increased by hundred dollars though |
he would have found it difficult TO tell in what |
way his comfort or happiness had been in.
creased thereby.
In spite of his carelessnees in regard to his
own affairs, Mr.. Newton was an excellent
man in regard to his business, and his services
were valuable to his employer. They ac-
cordlnely increased his salary from time to
time, till it reached sixteen hundred dollars.
lie had steadily preserved the custom of as
signing one-half to his wife for the same pur-