Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1885-11-26
STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTS.

Snow, my DEAR" said Mr.. Spoop-
endyke, "if you'll bring me the pen
and ink I'll look over your accounts
and straighten 'em out for you. I
think your idea of keeping an account
of the daily expenses is the best
thing you ever did. It's business
like, and l like to encourage ysu in
it,"
"Here's the ink" said Mrs. Spoop-
endyke, growing radiant at the COM
pliment. II had the pen day before
yesterday. Let me think" And
she dove into her work basket and
then glanced nervously under the
bureau.
"Well, do you suppose I'm going
to split my finger and write with
that?" demanded Mr.. Spoopendyke.
"Where's the pen? 1 want tho pen."
81 put it somewhere" said Mrs.
Spoopendyke. "Oh! and here I
have it. Now, you see," she con-
tinued, II have put what you spent
down here. This is your account
here and this is the joint account.
You know"
"What's this?" asked Mr.. Spoop-
endyke.
"That's your account; this
mo, no, I mean this marine sketch
in the second line
"That? Oh, that's T."
"S'pose 1 ever spent seven dollars
with tail like that to it! If you're
going to make figures VIZ don't you
make figures? What dc ye want to
make picture of prize nght in a
column of accounts for? What is
this elephat doing here7"
II think that's 2" replied Mrs
Spoopendyke, obviously. "Maybe
it's 4. I can tell by adding it up
"What are you going to add up
Dye count this corner lot and thai
rosebush and this pair of suspenders
Dye add them in?"
That's a 7 and that's 5 and th,
last an 8. They come out all righ
and during the last month you have
spent more than I and the joint &C
count together"
"Haven't either. When did
spend this broken down gunboat?' p
"That amt boat. It's $42 TO
your suit
"Well, this tramp fishing off rock
When did I spend him?''
"It amt tramp. It's $50 casl
you took, and don't know what yo1
spent it for. Look at my accoun
now
l ''What's that man pulling q gi.
: for?"
ats nothing of the sert. Tha
. amt gig; it's 81 for wiggin. Yo'
see I've only spent twenty-five dol
lars in month and you've spent on
!. hundred and eighty-four."
"You can't tell by this what I'v
,, DONE" growled Mr.. Spoopendyke.
"What's the rat trap doing in th
> joint accounte"
That's fourteen cents for frni
when you were sick?"
"And this measly looking old her
), what has she got to do with it?"
"That's no hen. That's 2. ]
means two dollars for having you
chair mended."
81 "What have you charged me wit
this old graveyard for?"
That's fifteen cents for slee,
elastics. The fifteen amt plain, br
. that's what it is.''
"Hcw do you make out that
have spent so mucha Where's I'll
> vouchers? Show me the vouchers.
" 81 don't know what 20 mean
said Mrs. Spoopendyke, "but yo
" spent all 1 put down."
:, Haven't done anything of IL
- sort. Show me some voucher
70 Your accounts are all humbug. Ye
l. : don't know how to keep an account
10 "Yes I do" pleaded Mrs. Spoo,
'e endyke. "and I think it's all right.
:" mo you don't. What do "
- mean by getting up engravings
a secondhand furniture store al
y claiming that it's my account? "
= are a great book-keeper, you ar
- All you want is sign hung betwe'
- you and the other side of the sire
- to be a commercial college. If
= , ever fail in business I'm going to
~ you up with benches and start
= night school. Give me pen" Al
MIR. Spoopendyke commenced ru
~ ming up the columns. "Two two
four and eight and four sixteen a
carry one to the next and three
" four. Here, this is wrong. You
~ got an eighteen for a twenty here
- "Eh?" jerked out Mrs. Spoope
no no dyke.
III 'SThat's 1904, not 1854. I kn
you couldn't keep accounts. Y
can't even add up.'
at "That makes your account e,
est bigger" replied Mrs. Spoypendyl
M 81 didn't think it was SO mucl
be Slam went the book across the roc
" followed by the pen, and the i
Be- would have gone, too, but NJ
IN Spoopendyke placed it out of harz