Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-19
THE WIFE'S WAGES.

We'll, Nettie, what do you wantP"
said Mr.. Jarvis to his wife, who stood
looking rather anxiously at him after
he had paid the factory hands their
weeks wages.
"Wby, Donald" ,"said she, Thought
as had worked for you all the week
would come for my wages, too! You
pay Jane two dollars a week, surely /
earn that, and I would like very much
to have it as my own"
"Pshaw, Nettie, how ridiculously
you talki You know that all have
belongs to you and the children-and
don't furnish the house and every
thingP What under the sun would you
do with money if you had it?"
81 know, Donald, that you buy the
necessaries for US all, and l am willing
that you should do so still, but should
like little money OF my very own. We
have been married fifteen years, and in
all that time / do not seem to have
earned a dollar. As far as money is con-
cerned / might as well be n slave. l
cannot buy a quart of berries, nor a
book, without asking you tor the
money, and should like to be a little
more independent"
Mr.. Jarvis, proprietor of Jarvis mills,
worth thousands of dollars, laughed de.
risively.
you're fine one to talk of inde-
pendence," he said. ''If you should
start out to make your own living, you'd
fetch up in 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 l have to board and
clothe you, and take care of you when
you are sick. III had to do that for the
girls, they would have precious little
money left, can tell you"
Donald, / gave up a good trade
when married you. For five years /
had supported N yself by it, and many a
time since have l envied myself the
purse of those days. AS for my not
earning anything now, leave it to you
to say whether it would be possible TO
hire another to take my place; and how
much do you suppose it would cost you
to do without me yearp / know the
girls have but little left after paying
their expenses, but they enjoy that little
so much. Allie Watson supports her
self and her mother with her wages, and
they both dress better than / do. Jennie
Hart is helping her father pay off the
mortgage on his farm, and she is so
happy that she can do so. Even Jane,
the kitchen girl, has more freedom than
/, for out of her own money she is lay
ing by presents for her relatives, and
will send them Christmas, as much to
her own pleasure as theirs. Yesterday
an Indian woman was at the hou with
such handsome bead work TO sell, and,
although / wanted some money so much,
had not a dollarl ! felt like crying
when Jane brought in her weeks wages
and bought half dozen articles that |
wanted so much. You often say that
all you have is mine, but five dollars
would have given me more pleasure yes
terday than your hundreds of thousands
OF dollars worth of property did,"
"No doubt of that, Mrs. Jarvis. You
have no idea of the value of money, and
would have enjoyed buying lot of bead
trash that wouldn't be worth cent TO
anybody. Jane needs guardian If she
fools away her money like that. She
will be in the poorhouse yet If she don't
look out. It's lucky that men do hold
the money, for there's not one woman in
q hundred who knows how to use itl'
For shame, Donald Jarvisl You
know betterl Look at Jerry and Milly
Greg, will you, and say that he makes
the best use of his money. She is at
home with her parents every night,
making her wages go as far as possible
toward making them comfortable, while
he rs carousing in the village, wasting
his time and money, and making brute
of himself besides. And why does Mrs.
Sarton come to receive her husbands
wages herself; simply because he cam
not get by the saloon with money In his
pocket, and If she did not get the money
they would all go hungry TO bed the day
after his wages are paid. And ] believe
that every woman who earns money
here spends it as wisely as the average
of men. and have vet to hear of one of
them being in debt"
MIR. Jarvis knew that he could not
gainsay word his wife had said, for
they were all true. Luckily he thought
of Jane.
"Well, how much do you suppose
Jane will have left when New Year
c0mesP II she should get sick how long
could she pay for care such as you
havepn
1t Is not likely she viii lay up many
dollars out Of q hundred year; but she
Is laying up something better, think.
Last winter she sent her mother n warm
shawl and pair of shoes, and to her
brother and sister money to buy new
Lers they send her do her more good
than twice the amount Of money in the
bank would. This year she Is laying by
number OF useful and pretty things for
them, and If any misfortune should hap
pen 20 Jane they would only be too glad
70 help her"