Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-06-28
A LIFE LESSON.

Il LITE LESSUN.
Albert Moore, at the age of 25, took
Alice Warren for his wife, and fancied
he was going to be as happy as it is
given to ordinary mortals to be. Al
bert had beeA in the army, had come
out with captains commission-and
had found his way, Immediately upon
his discharge, to his early love, and de-
manded the helping hand in the COM
mencement of the peaceful life. Alice
did not refuse him. She had held him
in her heart through the dark years,
and now, in the glow of the glad light,
she joined hands with him happily and
hopefully.
Albert had come from the army with
but little money; but he had good
trade, stout heart, and a strong pair
of hands, and had borrowed no troxble
for the future. Alice had saved up a
few hundred dollars from her wages as
teacher, and when the twain had become
man and wife they found upon q careful
inventory that they had enough to furn-
lsh small house comfortably. Albert
proposed that they should hire tene-
ment IN the city; but Alice thought
they had better secure a pretty cottage
IN the suburbs, cottage which they
might, perhaps, in time, make their
own.
Albert had no disposition to argue the
question so the cottage was found and
secured. 1t was pleasant, rural loca-
tion, and so connected with the city by
rail, that Albert found no difficulty in
going to and from his workshop.
During her five years experience in
school-teaching Alice had learned many
things, and having been an orphan from
an early age she had made the problems
of real life one of her chief studies ;
and what she had learned in the latter
department served her well in her new
station. After marriage she found AL
bert to be just the man she had known
him to be in other years. He was kind
to fault; free-hearted and generous,
ready always to answer the call of friend
ship, and prone to pluck the flowers
that bloom to-day, regardless of what
might be nurtured to bloom tomorrow.
They had been married but few
months when Alice found he was cut
ting his garments according to his daily
supply of cloth. Not shred was he
likely to save up. for rainy day to
come. "Albert," she said to him one
evening, edo you know we ought to be
laying mp a little something?"
Albert looked up from his paper and
waited for his wife to elucidate.
think heard you tell Mr. Green
ough that you had no money-that you
had paid out your last dollar this after
noon ?"
Exactly, my dear; but you know
tomorrow is pay day."
"And you have spentyour last month s
earnings?"
eyes.
A brief silence ensued, which Albert
broke.
"Come, Alice, you've got something
on your mind. Out with It'll listen. y
And then Alice, in smiling, pleas.
ing way, went on to tell her husband
that they ought to be laying up some
thing.
Albert smiled in turn, and asked hew
such thing could be done when it cost
all he earned to live.
"Y You earn three dollars and half o
day." said Alice.
eyes"
George somers has only three dol.
lars day"
" You are right"
And yet he lives, and does not run
in debt"
"But he is forced to deny himself
many little comforts which we enjoy"
And the one great comfort which
we might enjoy we are throwing away. u
How is that, Alice ?"
The comfort of a little sum in the
bank, which we would see growing to.
ward the answering of future wants"
Albert could not for the life of him
see how it was to be done; and Alice
feared that lesson of empty words
might be wasted. She knew that his
ambition needed substantial prop
Never, on his own accord would he com.
mence to save by Titles. He did moi
estimate money in that way. Had some
kind fairy dropped into his hand five.
twenty bond for $500, he would have
put it away gladly; and with such 6
nest-egg in the start, he might have
sought to add to the store. But
he could see no hope in dollar bill
and much less could he discover the nu
cleus of grand saving in fifty-cent
scrip.
With Alice it was different. From
her meagre earnings as school-teacher
she had in less than five years, saved
$500; and the first saving she had put
by was q silver dime. She knew what
little by little could do, and sne was de
termined to show it to her husband