South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-11-17
Romney, Hampshire County, West Va, November IL 1876

"Yes. Well, you may send me three
dozen. and please charge them"
II will, certainly. Anything else
this morningp"
II believe not
And so Mathews went on. This
morning it would be dollar-to NOR.
row perhaps five cents. 1t didn't seem
much. The young man kept just as
much money in his pocket as though he
hadn't bought them.
'Only dollar" he would saw to him.
self. THAT isn't much out Of the twelve
dollars week.
And it might not he, but the trouble
was the next dollar was called one dol.
lar, and he would forget TO- add it to the
former dollar and call it two dollars,
with the next dollar and call it three
dollars.
One evening Charles came home with
q new gold watcil.chain.
Where did you get that?' inquired
Mrs. Mathews.
"Ah." replied the husband, with an
impressive shake of the head, 81 made
a bargain on this chain. Now guess
how much paid for it,
I'm sure could not guess"
"Oh, try, guess something"
well, ten dollars
Ten dollarsv' echoed Charles, with
disappointed look. "Why, what are
thinking OF? Jack Cummings bought
this chain two months ago and paid
twenty dollars for it. Just heft it and
see how heavy it is. Eighteen karats
fine. Jack was hard up for money, and
he let me have it for thirteen dollars"
II suppose it is cheap enough, return.
ed Hannah, but not with such o pleas:
urable surprise as her husband had ex.
pected. "But," she added, you didn't
need it, and fear you will feel the loss
of the money"
Pooh have money enough. You
know | have spent very little lately. /
have been pretty saving
"But you forget yonr bills. The
money you have is not yours"
"Not mine?"
"No; it belongs to the storekeeper,
to the butcher and landlord. You know
they must be paid"
Don't you fret about them. / know
that it don't cost anything like twelve
dollars q week 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 do, and yet he lays up two or
three dollars a week.
Yes" said Hannah, 81 know he
does. l was to see his wife the other
day, and she was telling me how they
were getting along. Mr.. Wilkins takes
his basket twice q week and goes over
to the market and gets his meat and We
getables and trades for cash. and so gets
everything to the worry best advantage.
SO he does ut the store. He lays in n
good quantity of all 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, lie bought for twenty-five cents
n pound-a firkin Of it-and it is much
swceter than that for which You paid
forty-cight cents yesterday"
Forty eight cents?" exclaimed the
young man in surprise.
Yes. l asked Mr.. Waldron's man
when he brought it up, and lie said it
had risen to forty-eight cents. Mr.. Will.
kins got twenty dozen Of eggs some
time ago for twenty cents dozen. and
his wife packed them down, and they
keep well. You will have to pay Mr..
Waldron for.y-lve cents for those he
sent up yesterday"
Charles Mathews was somewhat as
tonished at this view of the case. but it
could not be helped now, and the sub.
ject was dropped. His gold chain had
lost its charm. IL did lot look so we'll,
even in lis own eyes, as the old black
cord which he had worn before.
At length tho end of the quarter came
around. The first bill was the rent,
which amounted to about thirty one dol
lars. Next was the butchers bill of
thirty six dollars. Charles was aston.
ished to see how this bill footed up
But when he saw how many steaks he
had, ut thirty cents pound, the cause
OF the wonder disappeared. Next he
paid the bakers bill, which was thirteen
dollars. When be came home in the
evening he had paid all his bills except
his grocery bill
"Mr. Waldron sent in Lis bill to.day,u
his wife said. after supper.
"Ah. did ne? Let me see it,
Hannah brought it. aud Charles look.
cd. lie was astonished at its length.
an1 when he came to look at the bot.
tom Of the column his face turned n
shade pale. It footed mp just sixty.fve
dollars-an average Of FIVE dollars a
week.
This is impossiblel" he exclaimed
rs he gazcd upon il. But he examined
the different articles, and he could re-
member when he ordered them. Those
things which cost him only dollar look.
ed very innocent when viewed alone,
but in the aggregate they had a very
different appearance.
How much shall VIC lay up this quar-.
ter Cbarles2" kindly asked HE ,v;Co a.