Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-06-06

SUN total was a poser ; t~eusy-six dollars
and forty cents.
For . long time after he had reached
home he tried to convince Hattie that moth
ing was wrong with him but at length
he plucked up courage and drew forth
Skidd's bill. He had expected that his
wife would be paralyzcd. But, on the
contrary. she only smiled, and said it vas
all right.
"All right" echoed George.
"All right. N far as Mr. Skidd is cnn-
said Hattie You reihemb Der
wha, tod you once before. and now let's
sit down and eat supper. aud then We viii
look the matter over"
And after supper they vent at the
work. Hattie took the bill and piece of
blank paper, and followed the items down
with her pencil.
First" she sail. "is box Of Aga. at
tifteen cent? a pound. II was very cheap
no doubt; but the eight pounds came to a
dollar and twenty cents. Had you been
required to pay cash you wonld no. have
bought them You would at least have
as!sed me if liked them. and I should
have told you. no Next we have a gall
on Of golden syrup. which We did not
need. and for which you would not have
pail the cash withou, consulting me-
And so she wen, on. and in the end
she had cut down the bill. by throwing
out articles which they had not absolutely
needed. to less than fifteen dollars.
4 dollar here had not seemed much to
George aai \ dollar and half there !;
and then only fifty cents: but there had
been twenty visits to the store during the
month. and the aggregate of these suns
was considerable.
George saw the whole thing. and he
knew that his wife had been right from
the first.
Don't say a word" he said. Il see
the mistake. But I'll have to work around
into the rich. track by degrees"
Glow 50. George: -
why. | haven't money enough left Of
nv months wages to qutc pay this bill a;
50 | shall be utterly unable tn enter upon
the cash principle at present"
There need be no difficulty in tha. d.
rrc.ion." said Hattie Il have not spent
qn;,e all my little capital. had already
fixed it FOR 4 bit ola nest egg; and don't
know as it could be put 10 a better use
than .hc laying of a foundation for cash
payments. At any rate. George. !e; Us
try it for while "
George kissed his wife. and said she
was blessing; and he promised that he
would follow her advice in the future -
lie took the money which she had to give,
ard held it as loan. which he WAS to re.
turn ut the earliest possible moment and
he felt HI ambition, too, to see how speed
liz he could do it.
And on Monday morning the new rule
Of life wen. into operation George paid
Mr. Skidd's bill, aul told him that here
after he should pay cash for everything lie
bought. The store keeper poo-hoo'd. aud
said there wos need cf il.
BLESS you. my boy. had as lief ,rus.
you rs not"
II do not doubt it. Mr. SLidd. but !
prefer not 10 be trusted. wonld rather
consume my own groceries than 10 CON
.ume vorrs. A bill is an evil at best. and
| don't choose to have evils growing on
my hands if can help it,"
Mr.. Skidd saw very plainly that his
customers vision was clear, aud he said
no more.
On the evening Of tha. very Monday.
Mr.. Skidd exhibited to George some ex.
ira nice preserves. and the young mans
frst impulse was to order a pot OF them
but the taking out Of his wallet and the
breaking of FIVE dollar bill. WIS palpa-
ble reminder and he concluded he could
get along without them. Said he to him.
self:
These seemingly trivial sums. If I save
them will. a. the end Of the month. adj
up as greatly in my favor as they have
heretofore added up against me =
And he found it so. And he found one
thing more in his favor from cash pn--
men,s which he had not particularly cnur,-
ted upon. As he had tue money IN hand
TO pay for the articles which he had plan.
ned to purchase. he could bay it where
he could get it best and cheapest. Ira
ders are not willing to lose cash custom
ers; and they do only the fair and hon
est thing when they sell to customer
cheaper than they sell to others. Not
only is the interest of the money en- &C
coun, an important item in the aggregate
Of many accounts but the keeping c; ,ha,
account in the day book and ledger is an
expense. George very soon learned all
this and he found that even Mr. Skidi
sold TO him during his month of cash pay
ments cheaper than he had sold during
the previous month.
Aud as the months rolled on. George
Brown opened no more accounts with ira.
ders. He found that in paying cash he
vas constantly reminded OF the value oi
each separate sum as he counted it out.
and hence was no, likely to purchase wha,
he did not need. Aud then he had n goal
ahead which he determined to reach as
speedily as possible and by his sy<:cn o.
cash payments he could estimate ST the
close Of every day the gain be was max y 9
toward the desired end. In two month,
he paid what be borrowed of his wife. and
she Put it into the common funi and in
FIVE years his home was his own. and hs
owed no man anything but love and good
will.