Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-12-31

quarter, Charles - kindly asked his
wife, as she came and leaned over his
shoulder and smoothed the hair from his
brow.
How much shall we lay up?" he re-
peated. . Not much. Get the slate and
let us reckon upn He was resolved to be
frank about the matter and let his wife
know all.
The slate was brought First, she put
down 1856 as the quarters salary. Then
came the rent and the butcher and the
baker.
"Now you put down thirteen dollars
for the chain, and twelve dollars for
such things. Now take all that from my
mains.n
She did so, and gave fifty-two dollars as
the result
"Fifty-two dollarsp' uttered Charles,
sitting back in his chair, "and we have
not bought one article of clothing nor of
furniture. Fifty-two dollars with which
to pay sixty-tive. There are thirteen dol
lars short this quarter, and | meant to
save at least thirty dollars
"Well, it's no use to mourn over 1t, /"
said the wife, in cheerful tone, for she
saw that her husband felt badly. Let
us commence again. there is nothing like
trying, you know"
For some moments Charles remained
silent. He gazed first upon the bill he
held in his hand, then upon the floor. AT
last he spoke:
Hannah, ] see where the trouble is,
and must freely admit that / have been
wrong. If had paid for everything as /
bought it / should have hit it all now.
have not estimated the value of money as
/ ought. Let me once get up again to
where began | will do differently. |
must step down to the store this evening
and pay the rest as soon as | get it."
"That matter is easily settled" she re-
piled, "for | have money by me that l
had when we were married"
He protested most earnestly against
taking his wifes money, but she insisted
on giving him the money. 1t was her
will and he must submit. So he went
down and paid the grocery bill and on his
way home he sold his gold chain for thir-
teen dollars. He felt happier now, ana
was ready to commence the next quarter.
On the next Monday morning the young
man went into the meat store to send home
a piece of beef for dinner.
elbow much will you have?" asked the
butcher.
"Oh, three or four"
Charles got thus far, and then he
stopped. He had always been in the hab-
it of ordering an indefinite quantity, and
leaving the butcher to cut it off at the
highest figure, and charge the highest
price; aud then he remembered how much
was usually wanted.
"Let me have two pounds" he said.
He stopped and saw it weighed and then
paid for it.
When he went home at noon he found
that his two pounds of beef were enough
for a good dinner. The next morning he
went to the store. Mr.. Waldron had some
nice figs just come in which he showed.
They were only twenty-five cents pound.
For moment Charles hesitated, but as
nc remembered that he had got to pay for
all he bought he concluded not to take
them. He found that things were not so
enticing when it required the cash to get
them as when the payment could be post
poned. He paid for what he bought and
went his way, and thus things went on
through the week When it came Satur-
day night he knew that all the money in
his pocket was his own, after deducting
the rent. That evening he went over to
the market with Wilkins and bought as
much vegetables and meat as he thought
would last through the week. He found
he had made saving Of at least 20 per
cent, and when the opportunity offered
he made the same saving in other matters.
At the end of that quarter Charles Mat
thews did not have to get slate. He paid
his house rent, and then he found he had
thirty-five dollars left in his pocket.
That was his-he did not owe penny
of it.
"Ah, Hannah" said he, as he held the
money in his hand and looked it over,
NOW I see how easy it is for a man to be
wrong and his wife right. This money
all comes of paying as go along. 1t is
very easy and simple to say, Just charge
it. and man can easily buy things under
such circumstances, but when the day of
reckoning comes these three simple words,
that sound so innocent when spoken, are
found to be costly things. / did not be-
lieve it until I tried it. could not have
believed that man would buy many
articles simply because he could have
them charged. But see it now, and if /
refused to follow your advice at first
have gained experience enough to lead
me to follow ii more explicitly now"
Charles Matthews never again allowed
himself to be led away by the credit sys-
tenn, but has followed the cash rule, and
the consequence has been that he could
buy produce, coal, etc., at the cheap prices,
and he has now cut off the expense OF
house rent, for he owns a snug little cot
tage, and it is all paid for.