Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-07-06

knew how much I had to- spend. But
you must remember that it is not for my
bwn individual graft icatien. - sf,aa "a :
\ "Oh. ;psi1aw! Minnie,'' interrupted
Mr.. Barnard, Z impatiently. "Why are
fou everlastingly Fostering me about
! money? I always give you all you ask
yfer.p 5saf aas Soc as.s asf..a So.
'sI am not going to poster You any
more, Charlie. simply wanted to tell
you so. would much prefer never to
ask you for money, and have concluded
not to do so any more. [ want you to
please take the responsibility of the ac-
counts and the orders yourself, if you
cannot give me fixed sum for expenses.
/ have heen looking into the accounts,
and find with the strictest economy that
we can scarcely get -on with less than
this estimate" and she handed him the
memorandum she had prepared that
morning.
ssBut you know very well, Minnie, I
can't bother with these things
"Somebody must bother with them,
Charlie, and if you wish me to continue
to do so must know exactly how much
/ am to spend, and not be obliged to
come to youfor every dollar as | want
it. The expenses are not mine, they are
for the family as a WHOLE
'sWell, if that's all. goodnight" and
Charlie went out, wondering what
under the sun possessed" Minnie
anyway. :
| But Minnie abided her time. She
thought one cry was enough for one day,
so she took her mending basket, and
while the children were busy at. their
lessons, and her busy needle flew in and
out, she carefully thought over her
resources, by which she might be able to
earn a little pocket money and be just a
a husband who was not ungenerous but
only thoughtless of her wants. She
usedsto play the piano creditably in her
girlhood, but was now long unused to
practice. She might revive her old taste
for painting, and apply it to purposes OF
decorative art; but that would take
much time, more than she could spare
from, her family. Finally a question
from Phil, yawning over his history les
son, gave her the dawning of an idea.
Midnight found her at her desk, where
for two hours, completely absorbed, she
hadbeen writing skeleton plans OF sim
pie historical articles for children, which
| W tlI1c SuC I1ctu6 w. ~
and fill up in an entertaining style at her
leisure. Heretofore her brain and nerve
had been given entirely to her family.
If she-coufd~ make her pen pay for the
long needed }"second girl,'' why not?
And how much more gratifying to her
taste than the endless sewing and darn
ing! T.
Three days after, Bridget came wad-
cto hnr oESnfhn
ssThere's not a solitary crust for dinner,
ma'am, barrin' the scraps of cold mate
and peratiesisSure what II do, ma lamp"
"Put it ON the table, Bridget; there's
nothing else to, do.'ss is-s.s*esss
Charlie came home to dinner, easy,
overlooking with good spirits, which,
however, seemed to diminish percepti-
bly, as the. slim dishes one after another
put in an appearance. -
.HsSeems, to me Bridget is getting
rather to the end of her resources, or
else it's wash-day all the week." OBJ
serves Charlie. PAL. .qv.s "
cit is not Bridget's fault, Charlie.
The butchers bill is already so large
that I. dislike to add to it,
"Oh!" says Charlie, sententiously.
The meat for next days dinner APP
peared promptly. After week of mis-
cry of il-cooked meals and. general
lacks in, all departments which had
hitherto seemed to take care of them
selves some way, Mr.. Barnard came to
the conclusion that there must have been
q good deal of thinking done by some
body formerly; for things had never
before reached this extreme chaotic
stage. Then there began to dawn upon
the vision of this wise man a possible
vista of bad dinners, addressed child
rem, and general thriftlessness and shift
lessness which even money alone would
not be able to eliminate. In this condi-
ton of mind he went one morning to
the office, and in taking some letters
from his pocket there fell out scrap of
paper in the handwriting of his wife.
1t was the estimate of expenses she had
given him, and which he had not even
thought worth while to. look at. He. set
himself about it now, and proceeded to
give himself up to some thinking, the
result of which fcane ont that evening
after he had taken his second cup, of
tea s-I.s Is 5sssssf f'r.ssy f,g's s.y'-s ~
ssThe fact of it is, Min, I've been
looking at your little estimate, and l
think [ can afford to give you sixty dol
lars a month if you'll just set the house
going again. les pretty hard on a fell
low to have things at SKIES and sevens;
and when you want things yourself you"
he paused a moment 'tssnust say so,"
he finally concluded. - .z-.. -
Minnie colored and smiled as she
thanked him., but nevertheless made a
mental resolution g Sd ssiaess tsasxad7 1
you must not mind all the stu
pid things say Pr .seges s - SF 1
s This for a general acknowled gment of
past delinqueneies and animpied prom
Use for future reformation, let us hope.
Then. he set himself to wondering,
after heswent out, if. she really did mind,
after all. But On his return from the
club. he called into. Smithson's and
bought her, q ruby pin and earrings.
"That'H make her feel better,'' he said
To- himself 80 4.sist e2a4 tEaw aoff-ak Il
'alS She was in much greater need of ten
der, loving sympathy and some new
winter fiannels, but he really felt very
towards herr .Asfor Minnie,
She felt that she had gained . point, and
a very decided one, and she was, willing