St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-11-11
The Fifty-DOIlar Bill.

Mrs. Dean sat alone in her little
kitchen. She never used her parlor.
There was the extravaganza of an ex-
ira fire to be considered-the fact that
the best rag-carpet, woven by her own
skillful hands, must not be worn out
too recklessly, the dread possibility of
sunshine fading out these chair covers.
Mrs. Dean was an economist. She be-
lieved in making everything last as
long as it possibly could. And so she
made the kitchen her headquarters
and sat there knitting, with her feet
comfortably balanced on the stone
hearth, the saucepan of apples bub-
bling away at the back, and the sound
of her husbands axe ringing from the
back shed as he cut and split the kind
ling wood, piled up there i'll well-sea-
soned logs.
She was little, wrinkled-faced
woman of fifty, with stiff ribbon bows
to her cap, hair that seemed to be dried
up instead of silvered, and keen blue
eyes that twinkled as if they had dis
covered the secret of perpetual motion.
To save money was her chief end and
aim in life. The very mittens she was
knitting were to be sold at the village
and all such necessary groceries. IA
penny saved is as good as a penny
earned,n was the golden rule by which
she shaped her life.
"I'm glad took that money out of
the savings bank yesterday" said Mrs.
Dean to herself, as the bright needles
clicked merrily away. "People say it
isn't quite safe. And one can't be too
| nj R1rf ha HaI AZ
of burglars though to be sure, no
burglar,n she added, with a compla-
cent, inward chuckle, "wOuld ever
think of looking in the folds of the
old 'Clinkerville Clarion newspaper
in the wall-pOcket on the wall. It's
the bureau drawers, and the trunks,
and the locked-up che SITS that they aim
for. A fifty dollar bill clean, crisp,
neU fifty dollar bill And all savings,
too, out of the house money"
Just then there sounded knock at
the door, and in came old DR.. Bridg
man, rubicund with the touch of the
March wind, and muffied up in the furs
of the wild animals which from time
to time, he himself had shot.
"Good day, Miss Dean, good day ~
said he. "NO thank you | can't sit
uONI. L dlll uttl LOO DuSN iOI lHdU.
But | heard yesterday that you took
fifty dollars out of the savings bank ~
EYES," said Mrs. Dean, her face in
voluntarily hardening, 81 did !"
eve are taking up IL subscription to
get little lame Dick Bodley cart and
donkey, so that he can go around ped
ding tinware," said the doctor. ats
pretty hard for any one afflicted as he
is to get along, and if you can help us
IL little"
''But l can't" interposed Mrs. Dean,
breathlessly. 'EThe money was an in
vestment. | don't propose to cut it up
into little bits"
''It's deed of charity, Mrs. Dean, "
said the good old man, ''to help lame
Dick Bodley."
al dare say" said Mrs. Dean, little
irritably. "But | never pretended to
he a charitable character"
The old doctor went away, and the
next visitor was Helen Hurst, rosy
girl of eighteen.
excuse me for interrupting you,
) Mrs. Dean," said she, "but Larry John
son was at the bank yesterday, and he
D tells me that you drew out your money ~
''Was all creation there ?" thought
Mrs. Dean.
But she said nothing, only knit away
until her needles seemed to glance and
glitter like points of fire.
81 am trying to get boarding place
at Mrs. Swipes'," added Helen, color
ing, $50 as to be near the district
school, where am to teach this spring.
= But Mrs. Swipes' requires payment in
, advance by the month, and unfortu-
nately we have used up all our slender
! means in providing my outfit. A
! teacher, you know, must be dressed
decently, to command the respect of
l. her pupils. But if you will kindly lend
me ten dollars"
+ ~ never lend" said Mrs. Dean curt
c ly.
: Il will he sure to pay it up when
. receive my first quarters salary, plead
g ed Helen. ''And don't know of any
one else to go to-"
k "It's altogether against my princi-
7 ples," said Mrs. Dean, with her face as
: hard as if it had been carved ont OF
r hickory.
:, Helen Hurst crept ont, feeling hu-
!, INFLATED and disappointed beyond al
description.
= Mrs. Dean chuckled at her owl
4 shrewdness but she hardly had time
to stir up the apples in the saucepan
before Mrs. Graham entered, with a;
d little leather-cOvered memorandum
3 book and pencil.
81 am looking for charitable people
4 Mrs. Dean," said Mrs. Graham with I;
laugh.
"Then you've come to the wrong
n place." said Mrs. Dean, frigidly.
"POor Patrick O'Hara was killed
5 yesterday, in the machinery of the rOl
rs ling mill, ,'said Mrs. Graham, ignOrin:
a her neighbOr's response. "He has lef
r. "a wife and eight children, totally des
s. titute."
s s 'And whose fault is that ?" said Mrs
rs Dean.
"Will you not contribute sOmethin!
toward relieving their destitute cOndi
or OF ton ?" urged Mrs. Graham, opening tn
book and holding the pencil ready fO
pt use.
IL n Certainly not" said Mrs. Dean
ia give no money to spare"
Ie- "But | was told
re- "Oh, yes-about the money that wa
CO drawn out of the savings-bank ~ sal,
= Mrs. Dean. "But intend to keep tha
money for myself, Mrs. Graham"
ale that giveth to the poor lendetl
ar to the Lord" softly spoke Mrs. Ora
ham.
"Yes, yes-I know !" said Mrs. Dean