Smyrna times., 1882-04-12
That Red Pocket Book.


| see it now, like flame before my
eyes. see the clasp, ending in bright
steel, drawn back over the little nail head
ed catch by fiat spiral spring. Within,
it was lined with soft white leather and
divided off into six pockets. When an
urchin, | had many time. on tiptoe,
peeped at the coveted treasure lying in
shop counter case. My mind fired up
with the hope of possessing it, and my
hands grew hot to lay hold of it, If the
desire ever darted into my mind to spirit
1t away without an equivalent, it darted
out again, for gOOd-home instructions had
trained me to abhOr the entrance of such
thought. But have that red pocket
book must; that was settled. Boys in
these days could cover the moon with the
old-tashioned cart-wheel pennies, and pen
nies came in slowly After exciting de-
slres, courage at last mustered to ask the
trades-man what it was worth, and it
seemed almost i'll arms reach when he re-
P-ANh 1Ai"Sg 0AhNO ~ W tto IAC ltlSC Vi luO lOk
and as the clasp was little one-sided
might have it at cost. But, alas that
cost price seemed m3lstrOm to swallow
up all my capital. The first thing / saw
when | awoke was that red pocket-book
and the last thing at night. 1t darted in
| and out between the lines, Now Law
me" ETC., and my childish prayers were
Illuminated by its reddish shadows. But
the long looked for day came at last, and
| hardly touched the ground as | hurried
| to the shop. What feast was now before
me! No fOur-story brown stone looks so
large now. How gladly was the money
paid down! mo, thank you, you needn't t
wrap it up" How held it fast in my
pocket? How | slipped it into covert
corners 10 feast my eyes, Still when /
opened it, it was empty; but some how
or other, now that had the pocket book,
thought the money would come along
to fill it, and | should play big over the
rest of the boys.
haye seen much of life since, but
nothing has ever taught nae so much as
that flaming pocket-book. How desper-
ately long those six inside receptacles re-
manned empty! They seemed like six
| hungry stomachs carried into my soul,
and each crying like the daughters of the
horse-leech, Give! give! giver
But how mOrtifyipg was that long after
hour when, sacrificing my manhood--or ]
should say, boyhood-I essayed to make q
purchase, partly with the view Of display
ing that dazzling pocket treasure The
article was priced ten cents, and opened
and found l had only five. WOuldn't
he take silver five-cent peice?" How
could a trades-man resist the triple
eloquence of childhood, backed by the i'm
posing effect of so much pocket grandeur
l got it, and never forgot it, That was q
humiliating hour. The red of the moroc
co flew from the portmOnnaie into my
face. That showy receptacle, and nothing
in it how horrid! That big promise and
the little pay Empty, for the most part
as that hypothical money receptacle con
tinued until worn out, have got more
precious things out of it than ever came
out of Signor Blitz's miraculous hat. L
has ever since played the part of {
ubiquitous aerial or shadOwy teacher.
saw two young men. They hat
$4,000. They got Il credit for $20,OOt
and laid in stock of $4,000 worth o
goods. In eighteen months they wer
wound up" Creditors sat ON their cas-
and got about ten cents to the dollar. l
came out that, with extravasaHt living
they had lived at the rate of$30 600 year
saw an awfllly red pocket-book in thos
young mems faces.
saw an expressive widow come int
New York. She was proud ia the posses
sion of two or three snowy marriageabl
daughters, She had little money hu
much assurance; rented house in
fashionable neighborhood made it gol
geous with furniture purchased on credi
The daughters were bellies, and thei
ringing brought together many youn
men. A year or so passed. The dea
young birds were mated. The old bir
few and left an empty nest; also two G
three son-in-law, neatly "sold," and las
but not least, hungry creditors graspin
for their pay. saw fery pocket-hook
blazing about those simple victims, for a
!. sides were yictimized.
/ see young miss pretty as dol
D dressed like fairy done at fashionabl
: boarding school ON the DIR. Blimer styl
y g. ,1,.,,, a. oo,,,,or.a oho,t ..,ro,als,,