The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-24

49, 'dH CpiHc anu sc ne. Mary,
and read them here. shall be
glad TO have You. Bat | need not
say that-you know will. wish
papa wasn't - particular; but he j,
a little curious about some things.
Mary felt hurt not at Jane. but
at the fact. She went home feeling
badly.
y orr friend Miss Rivers didn't
get her usual supply Of reading.
sad Tompkins 70 his daughter.
shortly after Mary mad left the
house.
NO. and | va sorry for her."
replied Jane. .>he seemed hurt
and mortified when | told her that
| could . lend them. I'm sure.
papa, it wouldn't have hurt n nj
all, and would have been such i
qualification to her"
Let her father subscribe for
them, as | do. He Is just a able"
But he thinks he can afford it,
and now"
Thinks he can't afford it. in
deed" said lIr. Tompkins. a
man who spends two or three hun
dred dollars q year IN self-indul-
genceS Of one kind and another. talk
ING about not being able to afford
magazines and newspapers for his
family. Why, it costs him more
for tobacco and cigars than it does
me for periodicals."
"Still. papa. il is hard for Mary
to be deprived Of them. 1t isn't
her fault. She says she often begs
her father to take them for her,
but that his only reply is he can't
afford it,"
IF she were the only one con
cerned, Jane, she might have them
with great pleasure" replied Mr..
Tompkins. But, YOU see. she
isn't. 1t is plain from the condi-
ton IN which the magazines come
home, that they have gone through
the hands of the whole family.
That Mr.. Rivers INDUCES himself
IN reading at my expense, | am very
well satisfied, for | have seen my
Cooley at his store more than once"
"les, that is the worst Of it.
"Besides, Jane, | am not per-
fectly clear in my own mind that
it is honest towards the publishers
to encourage anything of this kind
They 90 to great expense and la
Dor in getting up their works, and
certainly give the moneys worth
to all who subscribe. But if every
subscriber lends to his neighbors
who are perfectly able to subscribe
themselves, and who would do so
if they could not borrow, the pub
Usher can not be sustained, or will
receive, at best, but an inadequate
return. For my part, there is
scarcely anything | would not do
rather than borrow a newspaper or
periodical. | never have been gull
ty OF that meanness yet, and, if !
keep my present mind, never WILL"
Mary Rivers, as has been seen,
went home feeling very badly. The
more she thought about what had
occurred, the more she felt morti-
fed and really ashamed of herself
for having trespassed upon Jane
Tompkins for her periodicals and
newspapers to such an extent as to
cause her father to interfere and
forbid her lending them any more.
For this fact in the ease she was
not slow to infer.
"Mary," said Mr.. Rivers. as he
sat that evening, ~listless for some
thing to read II do, amt none of
the magazines out this month?
Haven't you got a Farmer anil
Mechanic or News from your friend
Miss Tompkins::'
NO papa" replied Mary.
81 thought you went there to-
day."
$50 ! did but, Jane says her IA
Their has forbidden her to lend the
papers 0 magazines any more"
''He has" calculated Mr.. Rivers,
with surprise and something Of in
dignation. ''Why was that"
Il don't know; but Jane said she
couldn't let me have them any
more"
Its very selfish - said Mr.. Riv-
ers, every selfish. What harm
could your reading the magazines
do him, | wonder: But that's just
like some people. They cannot bear.
to see others enjoy themselves, and
will prevent it if III their power"
Mr.. Rivers felt rather uncomfort-
able about this refusal on the part
Of Mr.. Tompkins. 1t seemed to
him to be aimed at his family. He
also felt uncomfortable at the
thought of losing his regular week
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