The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-12-07
penses, leaving but little for pleasure or
extravaganza of dress.
Then. what would Will saw"

|. Will Castleton was Charles cousi
who had been his life long companio
Together they had left the school roo
for business position, Will entering t
{ grain store of Harvey & Russell at Il
same time Charlie had taken the pla
in Mr.. Miffiin's dry goods store Should
to shoulder the young men had worke
their way up, till this financial crisis ha
brought all business men into temporal
J. difficulties of greater or less magnitud
Will had expressed the warmest indi,
], nation at the proposal made his cousi
strongly advising him to throw up h
t situation, and "see how old Mifflin woul
get along without him." and Charlie, b.
, fore seeing Mable, was quite ready
follow his advice.
He knew Will would think him mea
spirited to remain upon half.salary, an
yet Mabel was right, "Half loaf is be
ter than no bread"
And while Charlie Castleton was thu
weighing the pros and cons of his decis
ion Mr. Miffiin was listening to the cour
sci of his old friend and chum, the ser
ior partner of the firm that had beel
Gardner & Miffiin, and who, though b
had retired years before, was still tn,
friend and frequent adviser of his forme
partner.
at is mistake, Miffiin, he said. "Yol
had better send young Castleton abou
his business and engage an entirely nev
book-keeper. You will find that half pa,
means half service, mark my word
"But l might search C-from end tt
end and not find clerk competent t.
take his place"
Then pay him full salary"
81 can not do it unless l reduce the
number of salesmen, and l am shor
handed now. There is but one way tc
keep my head above water. You see
Clarkis failure involves me very heavily
and"
And the worried man Of business en-.
tered into long explanations of his diff
culties not necessary to repeat here.
1t touched Charlie Castleton deeply,
when entering the counting house to an
nounce his determination to remain in
his old position, to see the face ofhis EN-.
ployer brighten. He had been sitting
in despondent attitude, looking over
the mails, the lines Of care strongly
marked upon his face. As Charlie spoke
the large eyes grew brighter, and he
smiled pleasantly as he said:
Thank you, Charlie. 1t would have
caused me serious embarrassment to
lose you, and 1 am heartily glad you will
stay. TRUST you will not long be oblig-
ed to take small salary, but circum-
stances compel me to economic"
"You have been kind employer to
me for ten years." replied Charlie, "and
if l am really Of any more value to you
than another would be in my place, 1
will not desert YOU"
And looking into the careworn face
that trouble was marking more deeply
than age, Charlie resolved to serve Mr..
Mifflin more faithfully in his perplexities
than in his more prosperous days.
1t was not long before the old gentle
man felt the sympathy Of his young
clerk, and looked to him as he had never
done before, for advice as well as service.
He admitted him to confidential rela-
tons, explaining to him the difficulties
caused by the failure Of other firms, some
heavily indebted to the house of John
Mifiiin, others upon whom he had de-
pended for goods obtained upon credit
Day by day, as the hard, trying winter
wore away the two friends grew faster,
and so far from lessening his work,
Charlie found himself willingly lifting
some of his employers burdens upon
his own shoulders.
He gave more time to business, and
was gaining an insight into it of which
an opportunity had never before been
given him.
And Mabel, at home, was bravely tax
ing her share of the diminished loaf with
a smiling face and cheerful heart. As
far as might be she kept from Charlie
the knowledge Of her domestic econ
omies; but some of them we're apparent.
The woman, whose competent aid de-
manded high wages, was dismissed, and
a half grown girl engaged to mind the
babies, while Mabel cooked and washed
and ironed and sewed, meeting Difficult
ties with courageous heart She had
never been drone in the worlds hive,
having been a busy little dress maker
before Charlie Castleton won her heart
and took her to preside over his pretty
home.
But for three years of her married life
she had been much petted, and there
were many pleasures to put aside, many
dollars well weighed before they were
spent.
1t was with heart full of pardonable
triumph that the young couple at the
end of the year of reduced pay found
they were still out of debt, and had not
touched the nest egg in the bank.
"You see, Charlie, We made the half
loaf go round" said Mabel, as they went
carefully over the years expense book.
There are no crumbs" he said, with
a wry face.
aNeyer mind that; it was better than
idlen ess.n
"You ara right; and there was more
than that, Mabel. have been able to
help Mr. Mifflin more than could have
done in our old relations to each other.
His perplexities made him long for some
one to whom he could speak confidenti-
ally, and when the ice was once broken
he took me fully into all the business
condolences. Icould often suggest way
out of difficulty that had not occurred to
him, and even when / was of no actual
use to him, il WAS reliefto pour out his
troubles to some one who was IN full
sympathy with him."
"But you have worked very hard,
Charlie. l never saw you so tired as
you often have been this year, and your
face is more careworn than it has ever
been"
We'll. it is some comfort to know that
business prospect are looking brighter.
By closest economy Mr. Miffiin has man
aged to meet the obligations he was
afraid would ruin him, and there is a
good lookout for the coming year"
"Will he give You whole loaf yet,
Charlie?"
"Not yet, 1 think. Never mind. We
have held out so far. We well not des-
pond yet"
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