The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-02-09

ct know your wife would like some
Of those. I carried some home to my
wife, and she wanted me to save her
three or four dozen"
"These. are nice. How high are
theya"
s'Let me see; car. send you up three
dozen for a dollar. got these very
cheap. You know they are retailing at
five cents apiece"
." Yes. Well. you may send me up
three dozen. Just charge it, if you
please"
"Certainly. Anything else this morn
ingi"
And 30 Matthews went on. This
morning it would be dollar-to'mor.
row perhaps fifty oents-and then again
perhaps only twenty-five cents. 1t
didn't seem much. The young man had
just as much money in his pocket as
though he hadn't bought them. "Only
dollar" he would say to himself.
That isn't much out of twelve dollars a
week. And it might not be, but the
trouble was, that the next dollar was
called one dollar, and he would forget to
add it to the former dollar and call it
two dollars; and with the next dollar
and call it three dollars; and 80 on.
e.. One evening Charles came home with
new gold chain attached to his watch.
"Where did you get thatT asked his
wife.
"Ah," returned the husband, with an
impressive shake of the head, II made
bargain on this chain. Now guess
how much I paid for it."
"I am sure could not guess"
"Oh. but try-guess something"
"Well, perhaps ten dollars" "
"Ten dollars ?" echoed Charles, with
disappointed look. "Why, what are
you thinking of Jack Cummins bought
this chain two months ago, and paid
twenty dollars for it. Why, just heft it
and see how heavy it is. Eighteen
carats fine. Jack was hard up for
money, and let me have it for thirteen
dollars"
"It is cheap, to be sure," returned
Hannah, but yet with not such pleasur-
able surprise as her husband had e1-
pected. "But," she added, "you did
not need it, and I fear you will feel the
loss of the money"
"Pooh! Ihave money enough. You
know I have spent but very little lately.
have been pretty saving"
"But you forget our things, Charles.
The money which you have on hand is
not yours" .:
"Not mine9" he exclaimed.
"No, it belongs to the storekeeper,
aud to the butcher, and to our landlord.
You know they must b. paid"
"Don't you fret about them. know
it don't cost anywhere near twelve dol
lars to live, for have made an estimate.
There is Wilkins, who works beside me
at the shop, he has four children, and
only gets the same wages I do, and yet
be lays up two or three dollars each
week."
eyes," said Hannah, 81 know he
does I was in to see his wife the other
day, and she was telling me how they
get along. Mr., Wilkins takes his bas-
ket; twice week and gets his meat and
vegetables, and trades for cash, and so
gets everything to the best advantage.
So he does at the store. He lays in
good quantity of those articles which
will keep, and buys butter, eggs, apples
and such things by the quantity when
the market is full, and they are cheap,
and he always buys enough to last his
family over. the season of scarcity, when
such things are high. His butter, for
instance, he bought for twenty-five
cents per pound, q firkin Of it-and it is
much sweeter than that for which you
paid forty eight cents yesterday"
Forty-eight cents!" repeated the
goung man in surprise. -, --...' .
eyes. I asked MIR. Waldron's man
when he brought it up, and he said it
had. risen to forty-eight cents. Mr..
Wilkins got twenty dozen Of eggs some
time ago for twenty cents dozen, and
his wife packed them down, and they
keep we'll. You will have to pay Mr..
Waldron forty-hve cents for those he
vent up yesterday"
Charles Matthews was somewhat as
conished at this view of the case, but it
could not be helped now, and the sub.
ject was dropped. His gold chain had
lost it's charm. It did not look so well,
even in his own eyes, as the old black
cord which be had worn before.
At length the end OF the quarter came
around. ; The first bill was the, rent,
which amounted to twenty-one dollars.
Fhe next was the butchers bill of thirty
six dollars. Charles was astonished to
see how his meat bill footed up. But
when he saw how many steaks he had
had at thirty cents a pound, the cause Of
the wonder disappeared. Next he paid
the bakers bill, which was thirteen
lollars. When he came home in the
.vening he had paid all his bills except
the grocery bill.
.9"Mr. Waldron sent his bin to-day"
Ills wife said, after supper. o. ''.-'
"Ah, did he let me see is" -.
Hannah brought it and Charles look
ID. He was astonished at its length,
md when he came to look at the bottom
If the column his face turned shade
pale. 1t footed. ,ups just si1ty-fve
lollars-an average Of five dollars
week.
"'This is impossible |" he exclaimed,
,s he gazed upon it. But he examined
the different articles, and he could re-
member when he had ordered them.
Those things which cost him only
lollar, looked very innocent when view
ed alone, but in the aggregate they had
very different look. - o.
"How much shall we lay up this
quarter, Charles9" kindly asked his
wife, as she came and leaned over his
shoulder, and smoothed the hair from
his brow. .. Ita.i ..
"How much shall we lay upS" he re-
peated. "Not much. Get the slate
and let us reckon up" BE was resolved
to be frank about the matter and let his
wife know ALL.
The slate was brought. First, she put
down one hundred and fifty.six dollars
as the quarters salary. Then came the