The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-08-20
THE WIFE'S WAGES.

WcI, Ncttlc, Wndt no you Wlnt
said Mr.. Jarvis to his wife, who stood
looking rather anxiously at him, after
he had paid the factory hands their
wages.
"why, Donald" said she, al thought
as had worked for you all the week, |
would come for my wages, too. You
pay Jane two dollars week, and surely
earn that much so l would like to
have il as my own."
"Pshaw, Nettie, how ridiculous you
talk. You know that all 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 il you had il ?"
al know, Donald, that you buy all
the necessaries for us all, and am will
ing that you should do so still but
would like little money for my very
orr. We have been married fifteen
years, and all that time / do not seem
to have earned a dollar. AS far as
money is concerned might as well be
slave. I cannot buy quart ofstraw-
berries without asking for the money,
and should like to be little more in
dependent"
Mr.. Jarvis, proprietor Of Jarvis Mills,
worth thousands and thousands of dol
lars, laughed derisively.
"You're a fine one to talk of indie
pendence," he said. "If 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 living
The girls in the factory know how to do
their work and they earn their wages.
When have paid them off my duty is
done, but I have to board and clothe
you and take care Of you when you are
sick. II / had to do that for the girls
l should have precious little money
left, can tell YOU"
"Donald, l gave up a good trade
when ! married you. For FIVE years
had supported myself by it, and many
time since / have envied myself the
purse Of those days. As for my not
earning anything now, leave it for you
to say whether it would be possible to
hire another to take my place; and how
much did you suppose it would cost to
do without me a year? know the
girls have little after paying their ex-
penses, but they enjoy that little so
much. Allie Watson supports herself
and mother with her wages, and they
both dress better than I do. Jennie
Heart is helping her farther to pay the
mortgage on his farm, and she is so
happy that she can do so. Even Jane,
the kitchen girl, has more money than
I, for out Of her money she is laying by
presents for her relatives, and will send
them at Christmas, as much to her own
pleasure as theirs. Yesterday an Indian
woman was at the house with such hand
some bead work to sell, and had not
dollar / felt like crying when Jane
brought in her weeks wages and bought
half a dozen articles wanted so much.
You often say that all you have is mine,
but FIVE dollars would have given me
more pleasure yesterday than all your
hundreds Of thousand dollars worth oi
property did,"
"No doubt Of that Mrs. Jarvis. You
have no idea Of the value Of money, and
would have enjoyed buying a lot Of bead
trash that would not have been worth a
cent to anybody. Jane needs a guar
dian IL she fools away her money like
that. She will be in the poor house
yet IL she don't look out. It's very
lucky indeed that the men hold the
money, for there is not one woman in a
hundred who knows how tomake use oi
it,"
"For shame, Donald Jarvis You
know better. Look at Jerry and Milly
Greg, and say that he makes the best
use Of his money. She is at home with
her parents every night, making her
wages 60 as far as possible toward max
ing them comfortable, while he is carous-
ing in the village wasting his time and
money, and making a brute OF himself
besides. And why does Mrs. Sarton
come to receive her husbands wages !
Simply because he cannot get by the
saloon with money in his pocket, and il
she did not get the money they would
all 60 hungry to bed after his wages are
paid. And believe every woman who
earns money here, spends Is as wisely as
the average man, and have yet to hear
Of one Of them being in debt"
Mr.. Jarvis knew that he could not
Caineav n word his wifn had said for