Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-08-25
The ThriftIess Wife.--A Chinese Story


Two peddlers, one of olives, the
other of almanacs, had homes side by
side. The olive peddler had tidy,
careful wife, and even when times
were hard and trade dull, lived COM
fortably and got along in the world.
The vender of almanacs had stupid,
listleSs wife to whom he often held up
her Industrious neighbor as an exam
pie worthy of her imitation. The
slothful wife grew tired of hearing her
neighbor's good traits and wise doings
set forth for her ediGcation; and finally
came to hate to hear her name or see
her face. Things had gone on in this
way for long time, when year Of
unusual hardship came to both FAM
lilies. All Chinese who expect to re-
tain the esteem of their acquaintance
pay their debts at the end of the year.
But, this year, the olive peddler found
his debts greater than his means of
payment. After vainly seeking some
honest way of meeting his obligations,
he came on the last day Of the year
and told his wife of his pecuniary en-
barrassments, saying that they must
meet poverty and disgrace as best
they could. The thrifty wife at once
brought out great store of picked OIL
ives, telling her husband to go and
sell them quickly and pay his debts.
He asked where she got all these ol-
ives; and she replied that she had ev-
cry day taken few green olives from
his baskets before he started on his
dailF rounds, and had carefully pre-
served Them for time of need. AS
olives grow better as they grow older,
and as Uhey bring their highest price
at New Year time, the peddler was by
the sale of these olives enabled to pay
III his debts, and retain the capital and
cledit wherewith to carry on his busi-
ness during the following year. The
vender of almanacs had also lost mon
ey during the year, and on its last day
found Himself in debt; but bis wife
had no comfort to offer him, and he
began the new year poorer and more
wretched than ever. When he heard
how his neighbor's wife had come to
the rescue with her picked olives, he
again reminded his own wife of her
habitual uselessness, and lamented
that he had rot, like his neighbor, a
real help meet III his house. His wife
theTeupOn determined to reform, and
set herself to surprise her husband by
her economy and shrewdneSs. So,
when at the end OF the next year he
told her that he was again in debt and
without the wherewith to pay, she ST.
lently went into her room and brought
out several full b,sgs which she threw
down at her husbands feet, telling
him never again to call her u thrift
less wife. In great astonishment he
opened the bags, and poured out a
heap of almanacs Tor the year that was
ending. He asked her where she got
all these, and was told that sine had
done as her neighbOr did with the oil
ives: she had taken few almanacs dai-
ly from his pac and secretly stored
them up fol him TO sell at the end of
the year. OF course the books were
then wholly unstable, and the poor
prddler lost all that he had paid for
them beside; while his stupid wife
concluded that it was not worth while
to take farther trouble to please any
one who was so difficult to suit us was
her exacting husband.