The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1876-02-23

g Let me see-I can send you mp three
dozen for dollar. got these oranges very
cheap. You know they are retailing at FIVE
cents apiece"
EYES. Well, you may send me three
dozen, and please charge them. !"
IT viii, certainly. Anything else this
morning 2"
AZ believe not
And so Matthews went on. This morning
it would be dollar--to-molrow perhaps fifty
cents--and then, again. only twenty-five
cents. It didn't seem much. The young
man kept just as much money in his pocket
as though he hadn't bought them.
Only a dollar" he would say to himself.
"That isn't much out of4Ae twelve dollars a
week" And it might not be, but the trouble
was the next dollar was called one dollar, and
he would forget to add it to the former dol
lar and call it two dollars; with the next dol
lar and call it three dollars.
One evening Charles came home with new
gold watch chain.
"Whers did you get that ? " inquired Mrs
Matthews.
.Ah replied the husband, with an impress
sive shake of the head, 81 made bargain on
this chain. Now guess how much 1 paid for
it."
"Im sure couldn'tguess."
40 try-guess something"
Well, tel, dollars.'
"Ten dollars - echoed Charles, with dis
appointed look why, what are you think
ing Of ? Jack Cummings bought this chain
two months ago and paid twenty dollars for
it. Just hold it and see how heavy it is.
Eighteen carats fine. Jack was hard up for
money, and he let me have 1t for thirteen
dollars"
81 suppose 1t is cheap enough" returned
Hannah, but not with such pleasurable, sur
prise as her husband had expected. But"
she added, 'you didn't need 1t, 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 your bills. Tho money
you have is not yours"
!" Not mine -
No, it belongs to the storekeeper, to the
butcher, and landload TUaEnow they must
be paid"
"Don't you fret about them. know it
don't cost us anything like twelve dollars
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 as do, and yet he lays up two or
three dollars week.
Eyes, said Hannah, ." know he does.
was in to see his wife the other day, and she
was telling me how they were getting along.
Mr.. wilkins takes his basket twice week
and goes over to the market and gets his meat
and vegetables, and trades for cash, and so
gets everything to the very best advantage.
He lays in q good. quantity of all those articles
which will keep and buys butter, eggs, ap-
Piles 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 arc
high. His butter for instance, he bought for
twenty-five cents pounds firkin of it
and it is much sweeter than that for which
you paid fort. light cents yesterday"
Forty-eight cents " persisted the young
man in surprise.
Eyes, asked Mr.. Waldron's man when
lie brought 1t up, and he said 1t had risen 70
forty-eight cents. Mr.. wilkins goo twenty
dozen Of eggs some time ago for twenty cents
dozen, and his wife packed them down, and
they kept well. You will have to pay Mr..
Waldron forty-five cents for those he sent up
yesterday"
Charles Matthews was somewhat astonished
at this view of the case, but It could not be
help now, and the subject was dropped. HIS
gold chain had lost its charm. 1t did not
look so we'll even in his own eyes, as the old
black cord which he had worn before.
At length the end of the quarter came
around. The first bill was the rent which
amounted to about thirty-one dollars. The
next was the butchers bill of thirty-six dol
lars. Charles was astonished to see how the
bill footed up. But when he saw how many
steaks he had at thirty cents pound, the
cause of wonder disappeared Next he paid
the bakers bill, which was thirteen dollars
w hen nc Cdfue Hutuc III euo UECuihB ho A"~
paid all bills except his grocery bill.
"Mr. Waldron sent in his bill to-day" said
his wife after supper.
"Al did he, let me see it,"
Hannah brought it, and Charles looked
He was astonished at It's length, and when he
came to look at the bottom Of the column his
face turned shade pale. 1t footed up just
sixty-five dollars an average of five dollars
week.
"This is impossible - he explained, as he
oazed upon it. But he examined the differ
ent articles, and he could remember when he
ordered them. Those things which cost him
only dollar, looked very innocent when view
ed alone, but In the aggregate they had a very
different appearance. "How much shall we
lay mp this quarter, Charles?" kindly asked
his wife, as she came and leaned over his
shoulder, and smoothed the hair back from
his brows.
g How much shall we lay up !? t" he repeat
ed. "Not much. Get the slate and let us
reckon mp" He was resolved to be frank
about the matter and let his wife know all.
The slate was brought. irst she put down