Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-11-18
The Hole in The Pocket.


means for dcfraying the necessary
expenses, but as he was good
mechanic he could generally find
employment in his native village,
and she being an industrious little
woman, besides doing her house
work, earned considerable in the
course Of q year, by doing plair
sewing. But s,ill they did not
seem TO prosper a. did Ned Bowen
and his wife, who commenced
housekeeping near them about the
same time, under similar circum
stances. The reason why, and the
way he made the discovery, We
viii let him tell in his own words:
Ny wife said TO me one evening,
aNlr. Slack / wish to get some
thread aud needles at the store and
l want little change
felt in my pockets and examin-
ed my wallet thoroughly, but could
fad nothing that would pass for
currency at the store and re-
ported the unpleasant fact to her.
"Why," what has become of the
half-dollar gave you this morn
Ing: She always made me cashier
o. the firm.
After another unsuccessful a.
tempt to find it l said:
Mrs. Slack l think there must be
3 hole in one Of my pockets, for
certainly I have not 20: it; and !
DO not think Of anything I have
paid l. ont for.
81 viz lock ~ your pockets this
evsu:rz7 she said mildly, and VII
mend then II they need t."
I. wG 70. long after this con-
versa.ion that remembered hav-
Ing treated myself and three
friends 70 ice cream, bat concluded
to keep the discovery to myself.
Il couldn't find any hole in your
pocket last night :" said my wife
the next morning in a gentle tone
and with look that my feelings
prevented me from scanning close
y; and all the reply l felt wiling
to make was Sab, couldn't you ?
\ few days afterward she called
on me for twenty-five cents she
had lately deposited in my sub
treasury for safe keeping.
"Really, Mrs. Slack" said think
ing 1t best to show a bold front
"there must be some corner Of
seam in my pocket that is open; !
though really I could not find ono
any more than ! could the missing
quarter.
"If there is, it is singular that
did not End it the other evening
! in her usual quiet way, ''but ] vii
be sure to find it this evening
there is any.
On my way to work after Dime
while passing a cigar store, the fat
Of my wife's quarter came distinct
ly to my mind. 1t had vanished i
smoke; i. c. it had paid for fiv
finely favored cigars, which som
of my village friends had helpe
me to dispose of, while discussin
, politics there the previous evenin:
Mrs. Slack never told mo whcthC
she had found any hole in my POI
ket or not and l did not feel dispo
ed to push the investigation on Il
f; subject any further at the time.
t Although l was seldom entire
= out of change still it was frequent
unpleasantly scarce. In fact;
spent more than / was aware
S in small items, from day to da
/ and the result was that / did wit
: out things at home which my wag
would have enabled me to buy, al
left some for charitable purpose
!, One day | was presented with
n subscription paper, for the bene
k of an orphan asylum, which /
: | .ctantly handed back witho
signing, with the remark that
u really could not afford it.
Ny wife smiled sadly as she s0
I. to me in an undertone;
,e "Ned Bowen subscribed Fl
dollars"
~ don't sec how he can afford
1T I replied, as he does not get a
Ip better wages, or work more hot
ID than i do"
he a few days after the forgot
a event, on an invitation from n
II. Bowen and his wife, we spent
ne evening at their house, which
ID found much better furnished tn
ID our own, though there was no &