The Republican journal., 1881-06-16

| have for it, and fear it will be wasted"
"Well," snapped the proprietor II
guess it is my own money, and | can
spend it as please. Iguess you'll know
it too, when you get another present"
''Oh, it is your money then? under
stood you to say it was all mine, and |
intended to protest against your spend
ing it so foolishly. If it is your own, of
course you have right to spend it as
you please; but it seemst to me that wo-
man who left parents, brothers and sis
tiers, to make home for you among
strangers, a woman who has given her
whole life to you for fifteen years, might
be looked upon with as much favor as
you give to beggars, who are very likely
to be impostors know that you seldom
turn them off without help. Perhaps
would be more successful if appealed
to you as a beggar. / might say, Kind
sir, please allow me out of your abundant
means a small pittance for my comfort.
1t IS true | have enough to eat and do not
suffer for clothing. but although | work
for my master from morning till night,
and If his children happen to be sick,
from night until morning again; yet he
does not pay me as much as he does his
cook, and | am often greatly distressed
for want of a tritiing sum which he would
not mind giving to perfect stranger !,
The other day while he was from home,
| had to go to the next station to see a
dear friend who was IL, and not having a
dollar Of my own was obliged to borrow
the money from his cook. was SO NOR
titled. And not long since the berry wo-
man came with such nice berries to sell
and my little girl, who was not well,
wanted some very badly, but had not
even five cents to pay for handful for
her. Yesterday friend came to me
to assist in avork Of charity. 1t was
worthy object and | longed so much
to give her a little money for so good
a purpose, but though the wife Of a
rich man, | had no money. Of course |
might ask my husband for money, and if
| told him all about what | wanted with
it and he approved Of my purpose, and
was in Il good humor, he would give it to
me: but sir, it is terribly slavsh to have
to do SO, even if | could run to him every
time | wanted anything. People say
am q fortunate woman because my hus-
band is rich but often envy the factory
girls their ability to earn and spend their
own money. And sometimes | get 50
Wild thinking about my helplessness that
if it were not for my children think |
should just drop into the river and end it
all"
''Nettie Nettie Jarvis What are YOU
saying?" cried the startled husband at
last, for the taraway look in her eyes as
if she did not see him, but was looking to
some higher power to help her, touched
his pride if it did not his heart, for he had
a good deal of pride in selfish sort of
way.
He was proud to be able to support his
family as well as he did. He was proud
to think he did it himself He was proud
that when his children needed new shoes
he could tell his wife to take them to
Crispin's and get them what they needed.
He did it with flourish. He was not of
the stingy kind-he liked to spend mon
ey; and when Nettie, who was once the
most spirited young lady Of his acquaint-
ance, came meekly to him for a dress or
cloak, he was sometimes tempted to re-
fuse her money Just to show her how
helpless she was without him. Yes, he
was proud of his family, and wanted
them to feel how much they depended
upon him. He would have felt aggravat-
ed if any one had left his wife legacy.
thus allowing her to be independent of
purse. The idea of her earning money
as the other work folks did, never enter
ed his mind. He "supported her" that
was his idea of their relation, He never
had happened to think that it was very
good OF her to take his money and spend
it for the good OF himself and his children.
He never had thought that any other
woman would have wanted big pay for
doing it. He had even thought himself
very generous for allowing her money to
get things to make the family comforta-
ble. Things began to look differently to
him just now. Could it be that he was
not generous-not even just-to his wife
Had he paid her so poorly for her fifteen
years OF faithful labor for him that if she
had been obliged to begin the world for
herself that day it would have been as
pennlless woman, notwithstanding the
houses, the lands and mills that he had
so often told her were all hers For he
knew, as every one else did, that not one
dollar of all he had would the law allow
her to call her own.
How fast he thought, standing there at
the office window looking down at the lit
tie houses where the mill-hands lived.
Could it be possible that his wife enved
them anything? Could it be that he was
not as good a man as he thought? He
had felt deeply the wrongs of the slaves,
whose labors had been appropriated by
their masters, and when a negro who had
worked twenty years for his master before
the emancipation freed him, came to
Jarviss mill friendless and penniless, the
heart OF the proprietor swelled with indig-
nation at such injustice. He was eloquent
on the subject, at home and abroad, and
wondered how any one could be so cruel
and selfish as to commit such an outrage
against justice. He had called him rob
Der many time but now Donald Jarvis
looked to himself very much like the old
shareholders "Massa Brown" had taken
the proceeds OF Cutfee's labor for his own
without even ''thank you" for it. True,
when Cutfee ate he had given him food,
when he was sick he had given him medi-
cine, and he had clothed him, too, Just as
he himself thought best. Mr. Jarvis had
married a loving, conscientious woman,
and for fifteen years had appropriated her
labors. Her recompense had been food
and clothes, such as he thought best for
her. A little better than Cuttees, per-
haps; but the similarity of the cases did
not please him. He had expected his
wife to be very grateful for what he had
done for her, but now he wondered that
she had not rebelled long ago. Had his
wife no more money or liberty than Cuff
lee had in bondage! was Donald Jarvis
no better than Massa Brown?
His brain seemed to be in muddle,
and he looked so strangely that his wife,
anxious to break the spell, took his arm,
saying, "Let us 60 home dear The tea
must be waiting for u.s." He took up his
hat in dreamy way, and they walked
home in silence. The children ran joyously
to meet them. The yard was SO fresh and
green, and the flowers so many and bright