The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-05-03

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that, only last week gave a poor, lame
beggar FIVE dollars to pay his fare to Bur-
ton, and then saw him throw his crutches
aside and make for the nearest saloon
Your wife could not do worse. You say
that the money is all mine, yet you spend
it as you please, while cannot spend q
dollar without asking you for it and tell
ing what | want it for. Any beggar can
get it in the same wav. Christmas you
bought presents for us and expects us to
be grateful for them; shawl for me of
the very color that | cannot wear, q set
of furs for Lucy that she did not need,
drum for Robin that has been nuisance
ever since, and a lot Of worthless toys
that were broke up in week. There
were forty or fifty dollars of my money
just the same as thrown away, yet when
| ask you to trust me with two dollars a
week you cannot imagine what use have
for it, and fear it will be wasted. am
sure could not spend fifty dollars more
foolishly if l tried to-
Well,' snapped the proprietor, 81
guess it is my own money, and | can
spend it as please. guess you'll know
it, too, when you get another present"
oh, it is your money, then under
stood you to say that it was all mine, and
pretended to protest against your spend
ing ii so foolishty. If it is your own, of
course you have a right TO spend it as you
please, but it seems to me that woman
who left parents, and brothers and sisters,
and all her friends, to make home for
Won among strangers, woman who has
hn~ ri - CO..
wears, might be looked upon with as much
favor as You give to beggars, who are
very likely to be imposters. | know that
voG 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
abundant means a small pittance for my
comfort. 1t is true have enough to eat,
anil do not suffer for clothing, but, al
though work for my master from morn
ing to night, and if his children happen
to he sick, from night until morning
again, vet he does not pay me as much as
le does his cook, and | am often greatly
distressed for want of trifiing sum which
be would not mind giving to perfect
stranger The other day while he was
i4Oill ~ 20 W Tic utAC SbdClOh
to see dear friend who was i'll, and not
having dollar OF my own, was obliged
to borrow the money from his cook. |
was so mortified. And not long since
the berry-woman 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 hand
ful for her Yesterday friend came to
ask, ME to assist in work of charity. 1t
was a worthy object, and longed so
much to give her little money for so
good a purpose, but though the wife of
rich man | had no money. OF course l
might ask my husband for money, and if
told him about what wanted with it,
and he approved of nv purpose and was
in good hurnor, he would give it to me;
but, sir, it is terribly sIavish to have to
do SO, even if | could run to him every
time | wanted anything. People say |
am fortunate woman because am rich,
but | often envy the factory girls their
ability to earn and spend their own mon
ev. And sometimes get so wild think
ing Of my helplessness that if it were not
for my children | would just drop into
the river and end it ALL"
g Nettie Nettie Jarvis. What are
you saying - cried the startled husband
at last, for the far-away 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 q good deal of pride in selfish sort
of way. He was proud to be able to sup
port his family as we'll as he did He
was proud that when his children needed
new Shoes he could tell his wife to take
them to Crispin's and get what they
needed He did it with flourish. He
was not one of those stingy kind-he
liked to spend money and when Nettie,
who was once the most spirited young
lady of his acquaintance, came meekly to
him for 4 dress or cloak, he was some
times tempted to refuse her money just to
show her how helpless she was without
him. les, he was proud OF his family,
and wanted them to feel how much they
depended upon him. He would have felt
aggravated if any one had left his wife
legacy, thus allowing her to be indepen-
dent i'll her purse. The idea Of her earn
ing money, As his other work-folks did,
never entered his mind. He g supported
her ;'' that was his idea of their relations
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
children. He never had thought that
anv 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
comfortable Things began to look diff
ferentIy to him just now. Gould 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 a penniless woman, notwith-
standing the houses, the land 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 envied
them anything? He had felt deeply the
wrongs of the slaves, whose labors had
been appropriated by their masters, and
when negro who had worked twenty
years for his master before the enianeipa-
ton freed him, came to Jarvis mills,
friendless and penniless, the heart Of the
proprietor swelled with indignation ct
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