Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-09-11
The Dollar we Don't spend.

We have to calculate pretty close at our
home, you know; and the whole family
are called into council when ANY important
expenditure is to be made. Well, the 9TH
Ell evening we were considering the small
remnant Of the quarters salary, and Mrs.
Dobbs was trying to reckon how it could
lie made to cover every thing. There was
her new dress, and a new coat for me, and
a new carpet for the best parlor, and new
hat for our lat pres emit unmarried daugfl-
ter, besides q great many other things
with which | will not occupy your yaiua-
! BILE space. The main point was the new
dress, and Mrs. Dobbs was thinking OF
this shade, and scrutiniZing that pattern;
wishing that she could buy them all, doubt
ing if she could buy any Of them; and our
faces grew longer as the salary grew short
er. Presently, with one of my happy in
spirations, / said to her:
''Mrs Dobbs, there is no dollar that does
you so much good as the one you don't
spend"
! She looked at me a little perplexed, and
presently she said, ''Why, doctor, [ don't
understand you.''
So [ said, ''The llandsomest dress is the
one you don't buy"
ooh yes, that's true. The best dress [
ever had was the silk that Mrs. Large
head gave me when she came from Phila
delphia"
Mrs Dobbs,'' said l, interrupting her,
''the haLdsomest and in every way the
best dress is the one you don't have"
She was more puzzled than ever, and l..
was forced to explain.
''Mrs. Dobts,' said [, call the dresses
you ever bought have worn out, haven't
they ~
eyes," said she, very promptly; "all Of
them. I haven't a decent thing to my
name There is my bombazine-"
'Wait moment" said, for [ was
moltally afraid to have her get up that
topic land did you ever buy dress, did
you ever have dress any way, that you
didn't have some misglvings over that
you didn't see some defect in; that you
didn't rather wish you had bought the
other ?"
II believe you are right said she,
thoughtfully.
"But," said [, ''the dress that you don't
buy has no faults; you are never tired of
it; it never grows old never fades, never
weals out.''
"Why, yes" said Mrs Dobbs, 81 never
thought Of that before.'
''And so,'' said I, s'of your dollar You
never spent dollar in your life that you
diln't feel at least doubt as to whether
you spent it wisely and wished you had
bought something else. But the wish was
in vain; you couldn't make change
The dollar you can spend but once, but
the dollar that you don't spend you can
spend hundred times. You can buy a
hundred things with it every time you go
out If you are dissatisfied with any Of
your purchases, yd,t can 50 back and be-
gin all over. And" Continued, ''the dol
lar that you don't spend does you a great
deal more good than the dollar that you do
spend and, better than ALL it brings with
it no regrets, no misgivings, even"
Mrs. Dobbs looked as though she did
not know just how to answer me, but at
the same time as though she wasn't quite |
convinced. Presently she said: "Well,
doctor, I don't know that L see through |
it all but no doubt you are right for you
are great deal wiser than / am. And so
we will go on that principle. [ will 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"