St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-05-24
Premature Ambition.

"Man never is but always to be
blest:e" l thought ought to have the
happiest boy in the world. Last sum-
mcr got the Prince goat and a har-
ness and built him . cart. | stole 3
dog for him, that is. bought the dog
OF tramp. well knowing in my heart
that the tramp had stole him: I al
lowed him TO keep two cats in the
house and his piteous appeals saved
the fiftyfour lives of a tabby and five
kittens ont in the barn. l allow him TO
play with my watch every Sunday at
church. permit him TO sit at INV desk
and play with the ink and mucilage; he
draws pictures on the walls of nv den,
and have promised that II am going
to get him pony next summer. In 4
thoughtless moment took him down
TO Broad Street station, PHILADELPHIA,
one day to see PATHS boudoir car. And
what do You think he wants nowe
He wants car like the ..Adelina
Patti
He asks me very often if I do not
have ear like that when 60 away on
my lecture pilgrimages. He rather
thinks that l have. He asks me to take
him with me the next time / 90 TO lec-
ture, and l know he thinks he will then
discover my secret, and ride in nv
boudoir car. Did you see it? A draw
ing room in the center of the car,
private apartments on either side of tho
drawing room; all the interior wood
Work ia amaranthine, save PATHS own
apartment where the panels are satin
wood, inlaid with mother of-pearl. Cell
lngs and panels of the car decorated
with leather hangings embossed in silver
and gold. Upright Steinway piano in
the drawing room. Kitchen. and wine
closet. And my boy believes that am
proprietor of n car like this, and ride i'm
It when go out to lecture. And when
assure him that do not travel in such
imperial magnificence, owing to NV ex-
ces>ive modesty and deficient ira. In.
la, la. he wants to know WHY don't
have one, then? And then he leases
me to get one for him. Now what can
do? The only hope for my son, that
can see now, is for him to wait
patiently until he grows up. when he
can marry Patti suppose she will |
keep right on marrying-and then he
will have brevet half interest in that
boudoir car. But can't get him such
car now. Very few editors do travel
in thei:' own private cars. With the
exceptions. perhaps. of Eugene Field
and Bill Nye, / know Of no journalists
who own private cars. And they deserve
everything, because they are so good.
But SO 1t goes. The Prince is verv
much like children and men of COM
non clay. A man gets along costly on
300 year. and he and his little wife
ire as happy as robbins in cherry time.
Every December closes with his bills
'ald. not debt in the world and
week 5 salary due. Increase that mans
alary To 81 200. Does he save 5000
tot one cent of ii. The chances are
hat he will run in debt about $50. II
lie Is good man. and the house raises
i'm to $1,000. he moves into a larger
louse and buys new furniture, usually
N time. The more he gets the more
e thinks he needs, and, as n rule, he
manages to keep about two or three
Feeks ahead Of his salary. There are
ONE bright, frugal exceptions of
curse. but | am speaking of the aver
&c man. How many men who are
ow passing the milestones between
orty and fifty can remember as they
cad this article how nicely they got
long the first few years of house.keep-
lg on 500 month. 1t wasn't for
Inc. but il reached clear around the
velve months and girdled the year
18th . clean balance sheet. And each
ear, rs the salary went up and up. the
Spenses increased with the income.
ociety demanded more Of him. Cana
ian with 81. 500 year live like man
18th 500. Of course he cant if he
inks ne can't. But once i'm awhile
lere is found man and woman who I.
y: 1--WE lived on 1920 last year and
e can do il again this year" And
ey keep on saying it, until to-day the
an who believed that he could do one
Ear what he did the year before, the
an who kept on living on S72Oa year.
the man who pays his book keeper, i,
e man who couldn't, his salary of 3D.
v year. How many men who
e living right up to every cent {
their salary can remember
hen they used to walk all the q
~ to and fro, between home and the {
ice. because twelve cents day for
r fare was out Of the question. The
st raise of salary sent him away from q
e health-giving walks into the street :
r; few more promotions brought I
N horse: right along the expenses u
pit step with his income, and if he "
ii tonight the house he works for y
'nld bury him, and the five children !
l. = l