The Red Cloud chief., 1880-05-06

0All MI HouI t8I aNc
"lamb" was in the Upper Fold.
How Mandy lived through the sue.
ceeding days those can best understand
whose only treasure lies buried in q
little grave. For such there is but one
sweet balm. one sure comfort.
Afew weeks later the farm was sold:
and the entire proceeds therefrom did
not pay Solomon Boyds debts
Mandy" said Uncle Zade. Q dis
tant relative, who had remained with
them q few days after the sale. you
know that shop-lot Of mine. over in
town" (he called Hardscrabble. town..
swell. you might nov there for
awhile, until you a do better.
Into hat old shopg"
"Yes; il won't be so bad for this
summer. That back room. where the
turning-la;be was, has a good floor. The
boards on the roofs slipped round -
that it leaks some. but Solomon can
easy fix that, and put hinges on the
door, too"
Mandy sighed.
"And solomon might fix up that
shed. IN front, for q shopof some kind"
continued the old man encouragingly.
Maybe Jim would send you q few CT.
gars to start a store"
He might" said Solomon, dubious
ly, for he had that day received a letter
from Jim. which ran thus:
BRO. Sol: / have this day received
q letter from Skinner, concerning 4
note on which ! am the supposed secu'
rity. How is this? You mus, have put
my name on that paper yourself, for
am sure I never did" Qdleness and
vice 90 hand in handy Furthermore,
u is impossible for me to pay it. Bust.
ness is dull: expenses enormous. Las,
year the books showed a balance in my
favor of ten thousand dollars. yet it did
not meet my family and personal ex'
penses. Trying this year 20 rctrench.
Have taken the children out OF school,
and cut down the wages Of nearly al
my hands," etc, etc.
Moving to the shop, in the rain,
Mandy caught a hard cold. which hung
on all spring, and, finally. from want oi
proper care and n~ourishment, she died;
and another grave was made among the
forgotten.
Summer passed. frost came. and one
afternoon Solomon sat in the front door
of the shop-store now, for Jim did
send the cigars, and these constituted
the entire stock. The express stopped
an unusual thing at Hardscrabble-
and a man, having a sickly, sallow look,
got off and made his way up TO Solo
mons door.
.Jimi'
1.-THE same, Sol"
"Well you don't look the same"
Been having the yellow fever" ex.
claimed Jim. "You know how it has
been down there with us this summer"
"Why didn't you come North?"
Didn't have the money. Hard
times and big expenses broke me up.
The Towards got me a through ticket,
or | would not be here now"
Where's your wife and children"
Dead" answered Jim, sadly;
buried 'em all in one week"
Here we leave the Sluggard and the
Great Waster. The cigar-shop is a
lounging place for idlers. where vastly
more talk and trivial controversy tran
spire each day than business. Solo
mon, slovenly clad, hair uncOmbei.
half the buttons gone from his clothes.
shoes run down at the heel. and minis
strings, folds his hands and slumbeIs,
while his customers help themselves to
cigars, and are supposed to drop the
money in a box beside them on the old
workbench, which serves for a counter.
Now and then Uncle Zade drops in, and
his kindly advice is always this:
Nov, Solomon, don't make any
more debts; live honest. Work is tho
best investment yet. Get something to
do. and try TO lay up some money.
Work is no disgrace, except when bad
" done."-Dc6bie Dunbar.