The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-12-08
THE WIPES WAGES.
Hartford Courant.l

THE WIPES WAGES.
Hartford Courant.l
eWelI, Nettie. what do you want?" said
Mr.. Jarvis to his wife. who stood looking
rather anxiously at him, after he had paid
the factory hands their weeks wages.
"Why, Donald" said she. 81 thought as
had worked for you all the week, | would
come for my wages, tool You pay Jane 50
a week, surely l earn that. and l would like
very much to have it as my own"
"Pshaw, Nettie, how ridiculous you talk
You know that all L have belongs TO you
and the children-and don't | furnish the
house and everything? What under the
sun would you DO with the money if you
had it2"
Il know, Donald, that you buy the nee
essaries for US all, and am willing that you
should do so still. but would like little
money OF my very own. We have been
married for fifteen years, and in all that
time do not seem TO have earned dollar.
As far as money is concerned, l might as
well be a slave / can not buy a quart of
berries, nor book, without asking you for
the money, and l should like to be little
more independent"
Mr.. Jarvis, proprietor of Jarvis mills,
worth Thousands and thousands of dollars,
laughed derisively.
"You're a fine one to talk of independ-
ence," be said eff you would start out to
make your own living you'd fetch up in the
pOor-house soon enough, for what could you
do to earn a hving2 The girls in the factory
know how 10 do their work, and they earn
their wages. When l have paid them my
duty is done but have to board and clothe
you, and take care of you when you are sick
If had TO do that for the girls L would
have precious little money left, I can tell
you."
Donald gave upa good trade when 1
married you For five years L had sup
ported myself by it, and many. q time since
have envied myselfthe purse of those days
As for my not earning anything row,
leave 1t 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
to do wi. hout me year? l know the girls
have little after paying their expenses, but
they enjoy that little so much. Allie Wat
son supports herself and her mother with
her wsges, and they both dress better than
1 do Jennie Hart is helping her father
pay OF 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 laying by
presents Tor her relatives, and will send them
Christmas, as much to her own pleasure As
theirs. Yesterday Indian woman was at
the house with such handsome bead work
10 sell, and although l wanted some money
so much [ had not dollar! / felt like
crying when Jane brought in her weeks
wages and bought halt dozen articles that
thar / wanted SO much. You often say that
all you have is mine, bat five dollars would
have given me more pleasure yesterday
than your hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth or property did"
mo doubt of that, Mrs. Jarvis. You
have no idea of the value of money, and
would have enjoyed buying lot of bead
trash that would not be worth u cent to any
body. Jane needs guardian if she fools
away her money like that. She will be in
the County pO0r-louse yet if she don't look
out. IT, very lucky indeed, that men do
hold the money, for there's not one woman
in hundred who knows how to use itT'
"FOF shame, Donald Jarvisl 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 par
ents every night, making her wages 60 as
far as possible toward making them com
Portable, while he is carOusing in the village,
wasting his time and money. and making u
brute of himself besides. And why does
Mrs. SartOn come to receive her husbands
wages herself Simply because he can 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 after bis wages were
paid. And believe that every woman that
earns money here, spends it a. wisely as the
average man, and l have yet to hear of one
Of them being in debt"
Mr.. JArvis knew that he could not gainsay
a wo.d his wife had said, tor they were all
true. Luckily he thought of Jane.
"Well, how much do you suppose Jane
will have left when New Year comes2 If
she would get sick how long could she pay
tor care such you have?"
cit is not likely she will lay up many dol
lars out OF hundred year; but she is lay
ing up something better, / think. Last
winter she sent her mother warm shawl
and pair of shoes, and to her brother and
sister. new school oks, and the warm, low
ing letters they send her do her more good
than twice the amount of money in the bank
would. This year she is laying BY a num-
Der of usefd and pretty things for them,
and if any misfortune should happen to
Jane they would only be too glad to help
her"
well, who do you suppose would help
you if You neesled heIp7" said Mr.. Jarvis,
for want OF better question. Mrs. Jarvis
eyes spanked angrily a. che answered:
"N"brdy Ii you should lose your
property to-day l should be beggar, with
out claim on any one for help. You have
always held your purse-strings so tightly
that it has been hard enough TO ask for my
own nece. ties, leaving Others out altogether.
Many time dollar or two would have en-
abled me t. do some poor man or woman un-
told good. but although YOU have always
said that at your property was mine, /
never could and can not now command a
dollar al IL"
Lucky you couldn't. if you wanted to
spend II on bsggars.'
I'D maid, you know that / would spend
money a wisely as you do. Who was it
that, only last week, gave poor lame beg
gar Eve dollars to pay bis way to Burton
and then ,aw him throw his crutches aside
and make for the nearest saloon2 Your
wife could not do worse if trusted with few
dollars. You say that the money is all
mine, yet you spend il as you plsase, while