The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-01-14
MISTAKEN ECONOMY.

1--WE really must econOmlZe somewhcrep
said Obadiah, Juggling wildly at his whiskers
"Yes, indeed SAID |, wringing my hands
"we must! But Pm sure Oby, DEAR we art
neither OF us GX.ravagant. We must eat, we
must drink, and we must llve"
And Obadiah and | sat and looked at each
other in a sort Of mild despair
We had only been married SIX months, ODE
Idiah and l. We were very young, both of us
and perhaps we had begun the world too early
Our relations told us we hadn't any business
to marry; but as their gratuitous opinions
were all that they had ever given us, or ever
intended to give us we had not paid much
attention to these uttcranCes
We had taken little one-story cottage, Just
on the high road, which was let cheap, because
there were only two rooms and kitchen to it.
But what did Obadiah and want with more
than two rooms and kitchenY had The
furniture which Grandmother Newcomb had
given me, and a rag carpet which my poor
mother had woven the winter before she died
| To be sure, our accommodations were not eX.
tensive, but we did not expect to hold fashion
able receptions or give municipalities.
Obadiah had plenty of work IN the wooden
factory, down by the depot and | hung out my
little sign, "Drcssmaklng and Millinery" and
hoped that somebody would see it, and come
In and give me an order. But no one came
| had plenty of time after my housekeeping
lduties were over in the morning and couldn't
be always bceswaXng the furniture arran ging
the china cupboard or polishing the windows
| IL wish | could get some dressmaklng To
do" SAID |, wlsttully; for O5adiah's earnings
were small, and | did So long TOR dollar or
| two OF my own.
"Why don't you advertise in the village pa.
per-" said old Mr. Meggs.
| Obadiah burst out laughing.
| advertiser" said he. why, what on earth
do You take us tor, Mr.. Meggs? 1t takes a
deal of money To advertise"
at costs something, certainly" said Mr.
Meggs, Ihoughtfully stroking his chin; "bu,
then, ii calls public attention to the particular
sort of iron that you have in the fire"
"A little local paper like that?' said Oba
diah, rather CONTEMPORARY.
| ITS local custom your wife wants, isn't 1t ~
said Mr. Meggs
"And never did think much of uewspa
lpers," added Obadiah.
| So that settled the question: and aiterward
| when the foreman of the wooden factory cut
down all the wages of the workmen twenty
per cent, and coal went up, and the winter sci
in hard and cold, and we began To consider the
Question of how and where we could econo
lmlZe, the local newspaper was almost the tirs
thing upon which Obadiah settled
THAT, at least, is an unnecessary extrava
gance," said he.
| | WINGED little. The Boggsvlle Herdl,
had been my companion for more lonely even
ings than | cared TO remember
ats only dollar and a half year, Oba
diah," SAID |; land really it's very interest
ing little paper"
AUST dollar and a half a year too much,
said my husband, CURLY. The subscription
is Just ont. I'll tell em we won't renew /,
II you care so much about il, Josie, you cal
easily borrow Mrs. Meggs's paper"
4 was silent / never could make Obadial
understand the deep-rooted aversion to "bol
rowing" of any creature whatever that hal
J inherited from my mother.