The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-07-06
A vsssd ossssis..

es we're due last week besides there
scarcely anything 10 The house for Dime
There wAs = fain, smile on Mrs, la
nards lips. bu, her eyes looked anrioas.
Oh. bother. Minnie how long is !, sins
gave yon ten dollarsy Is thai used up a
reAdyi Seems 10 ne women spend lot
money
The quick Tears sprang 10 Minnie's ey'
but she did moi allow them 10 fall as sh
said
Yon know. Charlie. that the expense
must go op II We keep house at all. and
you could bring yoarseli 10 give nue. req
ular allowance for them should not hay
to bother you SO often.
Well, that's an old story. Here's te
dollars and wish you 10 be careful hoy
you spend IT, And Mr. Barnard took hi
hat snd--actually kissed his wife after sucl
an exhibition OF rudeness as he wonld b
ashamed to show TO the merest acquain
tance Then he went to his Office. feelin,
very generous and very virtnons.
After he had gone, Minnie went 10 he
room and burst into an agony OF weeping
She felt crushed and Inundated aud bit
terly angry that her husband should bripl
such accusations against her at all, but par
ticularly that he should do it in such al
airy manner. as though he were giving I
light thump TO wooden doll And after
all her pinching economies too, in order
that the children might appear respectable
and that at the same time she might pro
vide generous and wholesome table
which she considered due to her husband.
As for herself she had not INDUCED in q
new wiuter suit for five years, and yet she
had dyed, dsrned, touched up and made
over 10 such an extent that her obtuse bet
ter half was utterly oblivious OF either her
deficiencies or her sacrifices II | were to
appear with a market basket on my head
and tho American flag for shawl Charlie
would never know it, she thought bitterly,
What is the use--what is the use OF living
at all? And then to have to beg for every
dollar to keep the house going, just as If
was an uninterested outside factor Can
Charlie know how much trouble it is to get
on with the housekeeping anyway, even
when the money is all provided, if he thus
puts this humiliating burden upon me-?
Is this the Charlie who was so eager to
win me when / was pretty, free Minnie
Wartield? Ii marriage is only conven-
enee TO man, in order that be may have
a chance to throw aside. with his office
coat and slippers. the common courtesies
Of life, then married. life must be blunder.
Marriage doesn't dull sensibilities, il
heightens them Whose fault can it be?
Charlie told me that he should not be rich,
but that his income would comfortably
support US. Then why all this pinching
and sacrifice ito appear like other peo-
pie, and other people with less income,
too? Then she took this trouble where
she had been in the habit Of taking her
troubles OF late, to the Lord.
Rising from her knees the resolute little
woman dried her eyss aud proceeded to
think out the matter in u practical way.
Charlie has given me good deal Of mon.
~, It's true, and have always been care
[ul about spending it, too. Let me see.
could get on without Briget, wonder,
md so save her wages? But there's the
washing and ironing. just then the baby
woke and CRIED and Mrs. Barnard thought
that she would have to keep Bridget.
Well, there is Mary and Phil. They must
90 to school. and they can't go shabby
either; aud they must have books. How
wish | could have booksl-with sigh.
There is my home paper. 1 could spare
hat, / suppose, though il is like a little
piece ofhome every week. Charlie brought
come n new parlor clock the other day.
We conld have done without that and it
makes everything else in the room look so
BADLY. too, in contrast. There ia my silver
,ard basket which Charlie gave me my
asst birthday. It's beautiful, and very
good Of him, too, and am 40 thankful /
lidnt hurt his feelings by telling HIM that
had rather have had the money for boots
md shoes, mine are so dreadfully shabby. |
Charlie always looks nicely, but then like
o have him. Baby was quiet by this
ime. Minnie took pencil in handsome
,old case. one Of her husbands gifts, too. |
She thought again, as she took it, how |
,ood lac was, after ALL and went TO her
lesk all mother. Of pearl and crimson vel. |
et--for sheet OF paper. Then she made |
long list Of articles-wages, meat. bntter,
milk, hour. potatoes, sugar, oysters, tea,
Office, chocolate, pickles, cheese, sweets,
vood, coal. lights: 1t was filing up the
,age fast. Should she scratch out any |
hingf Pickles they were unhealthy any
ray, but Charlie liked them Oysters,
90. He liked TO have little supper
ometimes, aud few--a very few. four or
Iye--friends. II was very pleasant, and
n these occasions she noticed that butter
nd sugar and eggs went very fast. 1t
must be the cake. Then she made care
al computation. She drew line through
ysters, meaning 10 bring that question up
The smallest possible allow
nee for family Of six seemed to be ten
Iollars q week. and she must leave out
rood and wages; and where was the mar
IN for incidentals- her own aud the chill.
Iren's clothing, books. and the wear and /
ear generally, to say nothing OF charity?
Yes. il ssemed as il they could not get
u with less than Atty dollars month for
unning expenses; and she would ask her
husband for that amount, as the just due.
She was convinced that il would be
A III. -. 1T. /