McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-04-03


BILE, nothing but bread and butter, cold
boiled ham and apple sauce.
"Well," said Mr.. Gordon to his wife,
81 am afraid the pastor will think your
supper a scant one."
"I'm sorry, Stephen, but the fact is,
we have been economizing lately, and
they came so late I had no time to pre-
pare anything different.
"This delicious bread and butter
needs no apology, to say nothing of the
other good things" said the clergy
man.
Poor Stephen! His pride was deep
ly hurt as he contrasted his fable with
others that had been spread.
s'Have you met with losses recent
lyp" asked the PASTORS wife, with con-
Germ.
"Oh, no. said Mrs. Gordon; 'but
in the spring, on farm, there are a
great many things wanted, and we are
economizing in order to meet ex-
penses."
The next morning Mr.. Gordon called
on neighbor, Mr.. Jones, to pay him
for pair of young cattle. "Here is
the money for the steers" said Mr..
Gordon, handing him roll of bills.
Mrs. Jones was working over her
butter in the kitchen. She had but
ter-worker, and it was astonishing no "
fast she made the butter into cakes and
stamped them, draining out every drop
of the buttermilk without hardly any
exertion, while Mr.. Gordon watched her.
ssGot butrer.worker, I see.''
'sYes; and l don't know how I ever
lived without one: It is go easy work
ing butter now compared to what it
used to be-"
''Here, wife, is twenty dollars you
wanted for cloak. Give Mr.. Gordon
a receipt for fifty dollars.''
Mr.. Gordon stared. Twenty dollars
for cloak! When had he given his
wife that sum for anythingP He
looked around the kitchen. Here was
a model range, and everything conve-
nient and handy with which the far
mer's wife could do her work. What
a contrast to Hannah's kitchen! He
well knew that he was better able to
afford such an outfit than his neighbor
was.
On returning. Mr.. Gordon first
stopped at the barn. Here everything
was in order and everything convenient
to work with. Was it possible that he
had made Hannah do all the econo-
MIXING? In one corner of the shed was
something that looked little like a
sled. His little boy had been trying to
make one, and the words of the child
rang in his ears, 81 shan't let my boys
90 without when I'm a man. He
then went into the house. s'Where is
Hannah?" he inquired of Uncle Moses.
"She's gone over to see Stiles sick
child"
The farmer sat down and took his
paper, but his thoughts were too busy
to read. He had never looked so mean
in his own eyes before. He was still
angry with his wife for humbling him
so the night before, by giving the min
ister and his wife such a supper. Yet
now, as he thought it over, he wondered
how he could have blamed her.
"Uncle Moses, how much do you
think it would cost to clothe a woman
for year?''
ssIt's never cost much to clothe
your'n," said he, his black eyes snap
ping. 81 never thought you could
have been so mean and stingy with any
one as you have been with her. She's
too good for We, and it's time ye found
it out. You've got enough to keep her
like lady, but instead of that she can't
even have things to work with. Yen
never get cent from me, what have
I'll settle on Hannah and the boys"
"That's all right but why did you
not tell me how selfish [ was be-
fore?"
"Haven't l been telling ye all the
time, and what good did 1t do? If yer
hadn't been pinched a little,
yer never would have found out how
good it was tc follow what yer alters
a-preachin' to her, I'VE must econo.
mize we must economical
"Well, did miss the goodies, but
that wasn't all the reason, and it's
never too late to mend"
After dinner Mrs. Gordon went back
to the dying child, and her husband
went to town. In about two hours he
TctuIuSu Will d tluSullIu, d new SGOtc,
a new churn and butter-worker a
new sled for Willie aud two pairs of
skates for the other boys.
When Mrs. Gordon came home she
found the children rejoicing over their
presents, and Uncle Moses and Mr..
Gordon busy getting tea.
"Why, where did that stove come
from?" said the astonished woman,
and as her eyes fell upon the new
churn and butter-worker, she ex-
claimed: "Why, what does it mean?"
''It means that we have done secono-
mizing,' for the present, and that you
are to have the money for yourself for
all the butter you make. This is your
capital to begin on" said her husband,
as he handed her twenty-five dollars.
After this Mr.. Gordon never told his
family again awe must economize,"
and Hannah never gave him any cause
to do so.