The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-09-17
The Dollar We Don't Spend.

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The Dollar We Don't Spend. ~. 81.
We have Is Calculate pretty close
at our house, YOU know and tic
whole family are called into cpnncI
when any important expenditur is
ito be made. Well, the other eye-
ming we were considering the small
remnant Of the quarters salary,
and Mrs. Dobbs was trying to- recka
on how it could be,made to cover
everything. There was her new
dress, and a new coat for me, and .
new carpet for the best parlor, and
a new hat for our (at present mn
married daughter, besides a great
many other things, with. which Il
shall not occupy your yaluable
space. The main point was the,
new dress, and Mrs. Dobbs was
thinking of this shade, and scruti-s
nizing that pattern, wishing she.
could buy them all, doubtiDgSifshel
could buy any of them; and OUT
faces grew longer as the salary,
grew shorter. Presently, with one,
Of my happy Inspirations, I said to
her: 's il.siDas
"Mrs. Dobbs, there is no dolfan
that does you so much good astthe
ono you don't spend. T. ii 5.,fee
She looked at me a little per-
picked, and presently she said:
"Why, Doctor, I don't ulderstaiid
you g :ss>6e.,, y 1870 t:,f,5
So I said. aThe handsomest
dress is the oneyou don't buy.'"'no,
t"Oh, yes, that's true. The beet
dress I ever had was the silk that
Mrs. Largehead gave me when she
came from Philadelphia. .zi She
bought it on Chesnut street, and nc
couldn't have cost less than s9g
"Mrs. Dobbs," said I, interrupt
ing her, ttthe handsomest and every
way the best dress is the one that
you don't have"
She was more puzzled than eyer,
and I was forced to explain. 2
"A1rs. Dobbs," said I tall the
dresses you ever bought have worn
out, havene. they p y si.S4
eyes," said she, very promptly,
call of them. 1 haven't a decent
thing to my name. There is my
bombazine-''
"Wait a moment" said I, for /
was mortally afraid to have her get
up that topic; "and did You ever
buy a dress, did you ever. have a
dress any way, that you didn't have
some misgivings over; that you
didn't see some defect in; that you
didn't rather wish that you had
bought the other?''
sI believe you are right" she
said, thouhfully.
"But," I said, "the dress tIat
you don't buy has no faults; you
are never tired oft; it never Crews
old; never fades; never wears out;
you never wish you had chosen
some other; or if you, want Ito
change, how easily the changetis
made p 70 asts goss.!,
"Why, yes,' said Mrs. Dobbs,iM
never thought of that before gro
"And &c" said I, 'sofyour dollar.
You never spent a dollar in your
life that you didn't feel at least q
doubt as to whether you had spent
it wisely. You wish you had
bought something else But the
wish was vain; you couldn't make
a change. The dollar that you
spend you can spend but once, but
the dollar that you don't spend You
can spend a hundred times. You
can buy dozen things with it
every time yon go out. Ifyou are
dissatisfied with any of your pur-
chases, you can 60 backa nd begin
over gain. And So" continued,
"the dollar that you don't spend
does you great deal more good
than tie dollar that you do spend:
and better than all, it brings with
it no regrets, no misgivings, even"
Mrs. Dobbs looked as though shc
didn't know just how to answer
me, but at the same time as though
she wasn't quite Convinced. Pres
emily she said: '.'.# -,r~i "-9ni
"INcll, Doctor, I don't know that
I see through it at all, but no doubt
you are right, foryou are a great
deal wiser than I am. And SO we
will go on that principle. Twill
take the dollar that we do spend,
and you shall have the dollar that
we don't spend, which is, as you
have showed, so much the better
Of the two" !