The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-06-29
A POCKET MEASURE.

NOW What IS 1t all fOrp Here YOU
have been working over that wonderful
box every evening for week. believe
you are miser, and that box is to hoard
up your treasures inn
why, / just as soon tell you about
this box,n he said. you'll laugh, of
course, but / don't suppose that will
hurt me-
Il won't laugh a bit, unless it is
something funny"
We'll, it's a money-box."
"A money-box! / told you you were
going to be miser."
"Well, I'm not, said Rufus, laughing.
Sim planning to spend it, not to
keep it; but like to be sort of SYSTEM
attic about things. You see, 1 know Just
what I'm worth nowadays. There's
about six months in the year that am
earning money; and, in one way and
another, earn about sixty dollars, be-
sides my board. Now, it happens that
there are ten things for which I need to
spend that money, and, as nearly can
calculate, it might be equally divided
between them; SO, thinking it all over,
| concluded thai the systematic way
would be to have a box with ten COM
partments, all labeled, and drop the
money in, one dollar at time, maybe,
or ten cents at a time, just as I happen
to be paid
''That's real nice idea," said Eva,
admiringly, ..'but | can't imagine how
you can have ten different things, for
which you need to spend money regu-
larry. Now, have hundred different
ways of spending money, but hardly
any of them are regular" Here she
gave one of her merriest laughs.
"Oh, well, it is different with me-"
explained Rufus. "You see, | don't
know much about spending money for
things might happen to like to buy;
/ have to spend mine for the things that
mast be bought anyhow; and so it's
easier to calculate"
''Still, = persisted Eva, II don't know
how you make ten"
"Well, I'll tell you.' There was a
little flush on Rufus face, but Eva
looked SO sober and so interested that
he determined to trust her. I'm the
first place, there's mother; [ shall paint
her name on this first department, and
one-tenth Of every thing I ever earn is
to pop in there. Then there's clothes
for me, they will take another TENTH
g tenth for clothes! That will be
only six dollars year, Rufus Briggs!
Do you mean to dress in birch bark,
that you think you can make six dollars
a year do it?''
"Well, said Rufus, in determined
tone, ''when a fellow has to, you know,
why he has to; besides, that's only for
general clothes; I've got a department
here for boots and shoes, and another
for shirts, and if [ have to borrow from
one of those departments for the other,
why, it will do no HARM
But still Eva laughed; she knew that
six dollars, or twelve dollars, or eighteen
dollars in a year were of no account SO
far as clothes were concerned. Didn't
she wear clothes? She knew what they
cost.
"They can't cost more than you've
got to buy them WITH" Rufus said,
firmly, and went on with his plan.
''There are Mamie and Fannie, my two
little sisters; I've never given them
department. OF course, mother will
spend the money for them, but / kind
of like to put it in their own name.
Then here's the corner for books; I
need school books and paper and pens,
and all such things you know; but they
must all come out of this general fund.
Then here's the housekeeping. l have
a corner for that, because mother must
be helped, you know; that place
where her name is means for
her own private use, and here's
the rent corner; mother has
hard times bringing that in every
month. Now you see, I've got nine,
and / haven't looked out for sickness at
all; that troubled me at first, but then [
concluded if any of us were sick we
shouldn't need SO many clothes nor
books, and that it would even itself out;
SO here's my last corner;p and very
carefully Rufus printed the word, "Be-
aaeuolence,' over this compartment.
"Be-nev-o-lence," spelled out Eva,
and now she was too much astonished
to laugh. ''Why, Rufus Briggs Just
as though you could afford to give six
dollars year to benevolence.
"Why, it's only a TENTH said Rufus,
stoutly; "and it's got to be divided
up more than any of the others, there
are SO many things to give for.
''The idea!' said Eva. just then her
aunt called her, and she went away
thinking about the wonderful box with
its many compartments, and only sixty
dollars to put into them all. sAnd six
of them to give awayp' she said again,
and she thought of the dollar and
half week that her father gave her
for ''pin money! out of which she had
never given cent for benevolence in
her life. Who are you going to try to
be Ike-Rufus or EvaP-PanSy.