The true northerner., 1882-10-06

MIS-. JhrVlS eyes sphrhieu ahbihs no oiio
answered.
Nobody. If you should lose your
property to-day should be beggar,
without a claim on any one for help.
You have ALWAYS held your purse strings
so tightly that it has been hard enough
to ask for my own necessities. leaving
others out altogether. Many time a
dollar or two would have enabled me to
do some poor man or woman untold
good, but, although You have always
said that all your property was mine, l
never could, and cannot now, command
dollar of it,"
Lucky YOU couldn't, if You wanted
to spend it on beggars.
Donald, you know that L would
spend money rs wisely as you do. who
was it that, only last week, gave poor,
lame beggar So 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,
if trusted with few dollars. You say
that the money is all mine, yet you
spend it as YOU please, while l cannot
spend dollar without asking you for it
and telling what l want it for. Any
beggar can get it in the same way.
Christmas you bought presents for us
and expected us to be grateful for
them. A shawl for me of the very
color that | cannot wear, n set OF furs
for Lucy that she did not use, drum
for Robin that has been nuisance ever
since, and lot of worthless toys that
are broken up in week. There were
$40 or $50 of my money just the same
as thrown away, yet when | ask you to
trust me with - a week YOU cannot
imagine what use have for it, and fear
it will be wasted. | am sure L could not
spend $50 more foolishly if l tried to-"
well" snapped the proprietor, Il
guess it is my own money, and can
spend it as l please. guess you'll
know it, too, when you get another
present"
ooh, it is your money then. ] under
stood you to say that it was all mine,
and pretended to protest against your
spending it so foolishly If it is your
own of course you have right to spend
it as YOU please; but it seems to me that
q woman who left parents and brothers
and sisters and all her friends to make
a home for you among strangers,
woman who has given her whole life to
you for fifteen years, might be looked
upon with rs much favor as you give to
beggars, who are very likely to be i'm
posters. ] know that you seldom turn
them off without help. Perhaps 1 would
be .e successful if / appealed to you
as a beggar; L might say: Kind sir,
please allow me out of your abundant
means a small pittance for my comfort.
1t is true L have enough to eat and
do not suffer for clothing, but, although
| work for my master from morning to
night, and, if his children happen to be
sick, from night until morning again,
yet he does not pay me as much as he
does his cook, and L am often greatly
distressed for want of trifing sum
which he would not mind giving to
perfect stranger. The other day, while
he was away from home, / had to go
to the next station TO see q dear friend
who was ILL., and. not having dollar
Of my own, was obliged to borrow the
money from his cook. L was so morti-
fed 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 cents to pay for handful for
her. Yesterday friend came to ask
me TO assist in a work of charity. 1t was
a worthy object, and l longed so much
to give her little money for so good
purpose, but though the wife of a rich
man j had no money. OF course | might
ask my husband for money, and if L
told him about what | wanted with it,
and he approved OF my purpose, and
was in good humor, he would give it
to me; but; sir, it is terribly slavish to
have to do So even if L could run to
him every time L wanted anything.
People say am fortunate woman be-
cause I am rich, but / often envy the
factory girls their ability to earn and
spend their own money. And some
times | get so wild thinking of my help
lessness that if it were not for my chill
dren | think l would just drop into the
river and end it all"
"Nettie! Nettie Jarvis! What are
you saying?" cried the startled hus-
band, 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, il it did not
his heart, for he had a good deal of
pride in q selfish sort of way. He was
proud to be able to support his family
as well 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 dress or a cloak, he was some
times tempted to refuse her money just
TO show her how helpless she was with
out him. Yes, 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 independent in her purse.
The idea of her earning money, as other
work folks did, never entered his mind.
He supported her." that was his idea
&C tboi,. roIotsOno Ha boI noyar hon