Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-02-24
COUNTING THE COST.


|" Are you intending to buy q new
sleigh this winter" asked mechanic
of Charles Wallace, as he met him on
the street.
s'Ihaye not decided yet. Whyr
IL have some good ones on hand,
and will sell you one at bargain.
Come and see them"
"If conclude to purchase I will
give you cal"
~ will give you timc-if you have
not the money just now; can wait three
or six months. if you like; glad to ac-
commodatc you"
"Well, I'll think about it,"
Charles Wallace was u young man
just started in life. He had bought
snug little farm, with a cozy cottage
and good opt-buildings, and brought
his young wife there, to help him enjoy
his new home. He paid eight hundred
dollars down and gave mortgage for
the other thousand dollars, to be paid
in yearly installments of two hundred
dollars principal, and the interest on
the remainder Ellen had little money
that sire earned in teaching school, and
she furnished the house, as far as she
could, without running in debt. She
was sensible girl, and preferred buy
ing fifty sheep to furnishing the parlor
..It will not take long" she said, "for
the sheep to bring money enough to
buy n parlor set and carpet, and we
shall have them growing all the time,
and we can wait; our sitting-room is
good enough" So when her husband
came in, and told her that Jones would
sell him sleigh and wait for his pay,
she shook her head and looked grave.
"Iwould not do it, Charley. We
shall not drive much this winter, and
that old box sleigh of your fathers will
answer"
You don't think that can afford it,
l suppose"
You know that in three months
there is two hundred dollars, besides
sixty dollars interest, to be paid, which
we must not fail to meet. Let us see
where,it is coming from before we agree
TO pay fifty dollars more for new sleigh
that we can get along without"
The young man looked rather seri-
o,is, and ate his dinner very quietly.
That evening he sat down by the stove,
while Ellen was clearing the table, and
said: 81 reckon, / shall have to give up
the sleigh; have been thinking over
what you said at noon, and unless sell
off some of the stock / cannot, for the
life of me, see how | can raise the mon
ey for payment on the farm, in three
months"
srThat has to he done, Charley, and
we must not sell the stock either; it
would be like killing the goose that laid
the golden egg Tgf
fn, ,ln ft,t-
niture yetP"
s"No, was in no hurry; we should
not use the room half dozen times
through the winter; SO put the WOOD
money into the bank till l needed it.
awe had good luck with our poultry;
that brought us q hundred and fifteen
dollars; but have to pay some out OF
that. How large store bill have we,
do you suppose, Ellen?"
Il have no store bill, Charley, or any
other bill to pay. / have sold eggs and
butter for groceries"
81 owe something for nails; perhaps
dozen dollars or So"
-"Then there is twenty five dollars yet
on the sewing machine
4" Yes; and is there not n balance due
on the pigs. or,have you paid it?"
7"No; ten dollars there! And twenty
dollars more on the colt; and say ten
dollars to the blacksmith
Anything else that you think of,
Oharleyp' -. qua vs 81.
INV boots! Three and half Let
me see; it seems as if there was some
thing more. Yes, you know got a
meat barrel and water tub; six more''
1T will take about all the poultry
money to pay these bills. and would
pay them right away"
AThey ought to be paid, sure! But,
Ellen, where will the money come from
otake up the first note?"
"You have some grain to sell, unless
you conclude to feed the lambs and fat
them for market"
"They are yours. 1t would pay to
fatthemr'
"Oh, we are going to pay for the
farm, whether the parlor is ever furn-
ished or not; and, Charley, we willkeep
out of debt, if possible, for the future. "
~ did not suppose l was owing so
mIch.''
Little debts count up fast, and II
does not take long to make them large.
hope you will settle them all up right
away, so as TO begin free man. A
man in debt is slave to his creditors. ="
''Suppose you get a hundred dollars
for the lambs; how in the name of good
ness are we going TO raise the other hun
dred and sixty dollarsF'
''There is the money for the wool,
and fifty dollars of the butter money;
and reckon, Charley, you can earn
twenty or. thirty dollars in three
mi u
''But, Ellen, you want new dress oil
''No, thank you, am very well OF
now. You never asked me- what L did
with the money that you gave me when
did not need il for household expenses,
thought it best to save it to help pay
of, the mortgage. for am in hurry to
get that of our home, 80 that we can
feel independent"
yYou are dear little prudent woman
and l am as happy as lean be to see my
!" AS happy as if you were riding il
jones' sleigh with a lien on itp'
"Ifyou had said one word in favor O
1t. 4 should have bought it, Ellen; hat
not thonghtn' ~.
pThep there would have been anoth
er debt to pay! We can be just as hap
py' ride in the box sleigh till we ar,
ready 10 hayea better one, and we shal
feel better by ffty-dollar bill mex
SPRING 05
Thelnext day Jones saw Wallace an'
urged him 10 buy one OF his new sleighs
mo" he replied, ~ am not intend
ing 10 buysa new one this season."