South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1880-08-13
THE WIFE'S WAGES.
BY ARDlE BEE.

well, Nettie, what do you want p
said Mr.. Jarvis TO his wife, who stood
looking rather anxiously ut him after
he had paid the factory hands their
weeks wages.
why Donald she said, Il thought
rs | had worked for you all the week,
l would come for my wages too =
You pay Jane two dollars week,
surely earn that, and / would like
very much TO have it as my own
'Pshaw, Nettie, how ridiculously
you talk! You know that all l have
belongs to you and the children-and
don't | furnish the house and every
thing3 What under the sun would
you do with money if you had it p
q know, Donald, that you buy the
necessaries for us all, and am willing
that you should do so still, but |
should like little money of my very
own. We have been married fifteen
years. and i'll all that time | do not
seem to have earned n dollar. AS
far - money is concerned l might as
we'll be slave. | cannot buy q
quart of berries, nor book, without
asking you for the money, and I
should like to be little more indie
pendent
Mr.. JARVIS, proprietor of Jarvis
Mills, worth hundreds of thousands
of dollars, laughed derisively.
You're fine one 10 talk of indie
pendencc, he said. IF you should
start out to make your own living
yoGd fetch up III the poorhoUse soon
enough, for what could You do to earn
living The girls in the factory
know how to do their work, and they
earn their wages. When | have paid
them my duty is done, but I have TO
board and clothc you, and take care
of YOU when you are sick. II l had
TO DO that for the girls they would
have precious little money left, l eau
tell YOU
Donald, gave up good trade
when | married you. For five years
had supported myself by it, and
many time since have ! cnvied my
self the purse Of those days. As for
my not earning anything, now l leave
ii to you TO say whether it would be
possible to hire another 10 take my
place; and how much do you suppose
it would cost vou TO do without me n
year? | know the girls have but lit.
tie left after paying their expenses,
bnt they enjoy that little so much +
Allie Wilson supports herself and her
mother with her wages, and they both
dress better than [ do. Jennie Hart
Is helping her father pay OF tho mort
gage on his farm, and she is so happy
that she can do so. Even Jane, the
kitchen girl, has more freedom than
| |, tor ont Of her own money she is
laying By presents for her relatives,
and will send them Christmas, as
much to her own pleasure as theirs.
\ esterday an Indian woman was at
tho house with such handsome bead
work to sell, and, although l wanted
some money 50 much, | had not Il
dollar | felt like crying when Jane
brought IN her weeks wages and
| bought half a dozen articles that
wanted so much. You often say that
hll you have Is mine, but five dollars
would have given me more pleasure
yesterday than your hundreds OF thou
sands OF dollars worth OF property
did
No doubt Of that. Mrs. Jarvis
You have no idea OF the value ofmo-
ney, and would have enjoyed buying
. lot OF bead trash that wouldn't be
worth q cent to any body. Jane
needs a guardian if she fools away
her money like that She Will be in
the county house yet if she don't looil
out. It's lucky that men do hold Tire
! money, for there's not one woman in
q hundred who knows how to use it,
For shame, Donald Jarvis You
know better Look at Jerry and
Milly Greg, will you, and say that he
makes the best use OF his money
/ She is ut home with her parents eve
ry night, making her wages 90 as faI
~ possible toward making them com
Portable, willie Ao is drinking and co
rousiug in the village, wasting his
time aud money, aud makinga brute
/ OF himself besides And why doe.
Mrs. Sarton come TO- receive her has
bands wages herself; simply because
he cannot get by the saloon with mo
ney in his pocket, and if she did moi
get INC money they would all 20 hun.
/ cry to bed the day after his wages
| arc paid And I believe that cyov
| woman who earns money here speud-
it rs wisely as the average Of men
and ! have yet to hear Of one ofthen
I being in debt
Mr.. Jarvis knew that le could moi
/ gainsay q word his wife ha1 said, fOi
they were all true. Luckily nc
. thought of Jane.
I We'll, how much do you suppose
Jane viii have left when Now Tcal