Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-12-06
FEMALE BORROWERS.


sensible remarks on female borrowers
in the, Ru+al New Yorker, which many
readers will heartily appreciate:
Does it ever enter into the mind OF
the woman who complains of the bor-
rowing propensities OF her neighbors,
that the lenders are themselves in
great measure responsible for the bor-
1owisgi Certain it is that borrowers
would soon "eease from the land" if
there were no one found to encourage
the thriftless habit. The habit of Dor
rowing grows upon one as habits gen
orally do, whether good or bad, and
the woman who begins by borrowing
an occasional drawing Of tea, or
hank Of thread, will soon ask you for
Your latest magazine, and that before
the leaves are hardly cut, or your best
table-cloth when she has company"
as eoolly as though she thought you
must feel it q privilege to lend them.
Her tabls-eloths are always in the
wash at such times. She is always
forgetting to send to the store for tea,
sugar, starch, and dozen other such
things, and the reason she forgets is
she knows you have them and will
lend them to her. 4.
II her aunt's cousin is going to be
married, and she is going to the we'd
ding, she is sure not to have time to
get ready for SO grand and particularan
occasion, and you are asked to ransaek
your boxes and drawers for something
that will set off her old dress, and make
her fitting wedding guest. She will
remind you while you are doing this
that her complexion and style of
feature are peculiar, and that only GER
tain things-which she knows you
possess-will become her.
You may have been years in getting
the conveniences of housekeeping
about you, and your neighbor, who
has been too slack or thriftless to do
the same for herself, uses them. She
let's her tub fall to pieces in the sun,
and then does her washing in yours.
She runs her candles in your molds,
twists her stocking yarn on the wheel
your grandmother lefs you, Sits her
pumpkins through your colander, and
grinds her spices in your mill, and you
may count yourself fortunate if, when
these things are wanted by yourself,
you do not have to 60 after them.
"Plsase, ma'am, will you lend ma
little salvea Tommy has cut his
thumb ........
''Mother would like to borrow a lit
tie kerosene, if you have it to spare"
"Pa has famed his back so he can't
work, and ma wants him to read to
her; could you lend him q papers"
"We want to 60 visiting this after
noon, and would you please let us
take the baby carriage :"
This is the way You are pestered, al
most daily, if you belong to the great
army Of lenders and be SO unfortunate
as to live next neighbor to a chronic
borrower. You bear it with meek
submissiveness that has become habit
ual to you, until Mrs. Slack comes in
some day and requests the loan of your
switch, IS she is going West to visit
her dear mother, and her hair which
is getting thin-"couldn't have been
nearer the color of it if it had all
grown on one head" and while she is
there and thinks of it, she will take
fne-tooth comb, if you have one
handy.
An ominous flush leaps into your
face at this, and your neighbor goes
home empty-handed, doubtless to call
You the meanest woman alive, but she
comes back next morning for your
travelling bag, and you lend it, thank
full that she has a dear mother out
West, and hoping that her visit will
be long one. -
Now, some of these troublesome peo-
pie will read this article. They will
borrow the paper to read it, and so
sponge both on the publisher and the
subscriber who has paid for it, and
unless the heading provokes their ire
as something personal, they will want
to see whether some woman they
know Of catches it.
My dear friend. if YOU are habitual
borrower. this is tor you. Don't you
know that the tea you get of your
neighbor is better than you send back
Don't you know that You don't always
return quito as much as you get : And
don't you sometimes forget to pay it
at slls Don't you know that You bnrn
her brass kettle every time you have
it to make up your preserves 7 and
that you dull the knives of her sausage
grinder aud then fail 10 sharpen them
Have YOU never thought what trouble
you cause your neighbor when you
oblige her to send to your house for
the dat-irons every time she wants to
use theme And has it never occurred
to you that you are doing her an in
.rr,r A. o