Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-04-02
MIR. GRANTS LESSON.

and was seated In his easy chair by the
coy lire reading the morning paper.
Mrs. Grant fingered by the break
fast table, although she, too, had com.
Pieted her morning meal. and, with a
worried look on her pretty face, was
~nervously tracing patterns in the
crumbs that lay beside her plate.
She looked at her husband two or
three times, as if she had something to
say, then her courage seemed to fail
her and she was silent.
Presently, when he tossed aside the
paper and rose to go, she said, rather
timIdly:
will, can you let me have some
money this morning before you go?"
More money" exclaimed Mr.. Grant,
a slight cloud overspreading his pleas.
ant face. "Why, l gave you three dollars
yesterday morning. Surely you haven't
spent that already?
"Willie's shoes costjust three dollars, I"
answered Mrs. Grant.
We'll, / don't see how you n 10
get through so much money" answered
Mr.. Grant, paying no attention to
her explanation. How much do you
want2 What do you want to get with
it?"
II am going in the city to do some
shopping with Mrs. Dean" answered
Mrs. Grant, "and she has taken me to
lunch with her so often that l thought 1
would like to invite her to lunch with me
for once"
"Oh, n~onsense" exclaimed Mr..
Grant, impatiently. ''There's no me-
cessity for that. II Mrs. Dean chooses
to spend her money for lunches in the
city, don't you think that you must do
the same thing. There is plenty of nee
essary ways to use money without doing
anything Of that kind, aud he buttoned
up his coat as if the matter was conclu-
sively settled.
Tears gathered slowly in Mrs. Grants
blue eyes. IL had been an effort for
her to ask her husband for so ne money,
and only the remembrance Of the hu-
initiation she had felt SO often at never
being able 10 extend any invitations to
old friends who pressed them upon her
so cordially had enabled her to do it,
and she had been unsuccessful after all.
"Will," she said presently, as her
husband was fumbling with a refractory
button" would you mind making me
an Allowance"
IAN allowance, Eval" and Mr.. Grant
stared at his wife with unfeigned sur
prise. What in the wotii do you
want an allowance for? Don't you
have everything you want? All the
money | earn is as much yours as mine,
so what do you want to divide il for?'
Because practically / don't feel that
l have any right to a cent of your mon
ey," answered Mrs Grant. 'If | want
any / have to ask for it, explain just
what l want it for, and then if you hap
pen to approve of my plan you dole ii
ont to Inc as if L was a beggar. | have
been married eight years, and in all that
time you have never even given me as
much as a dollar for myself. You have
no idea how / dislike to ask for money
for even the necessary purchases for
the table. Now, if you would give me
regularly ever so little money l would
divide it up and try to get along with
out asking you for any more. Won't
you do this, WHIP" she pleaded.
Nh. Grant looked at his wife in as
Constituent.
Il don't see any use In it," he an
swered. "No, if I was in your place
and had everything that / needed, /
wouldn't care if l never had any money
to spend"
TRY 1T oncep exclaimed Mrs. Grant
eagerly. "Let me take charge of your
purse, and l will give you money for all
necessary expenditure. Il just want
you to give my suggestion a fair trial.
You say you would not care to have any
money if your wants were supplied;
now just see whether you would be viii
ling to be impecunious, and ask for
every thing you wanted. Let me keep
your money for q week, and then see
whether you do not think an allowance
would be a better plan"
"All right, it's a bargain" said Mr..
Grant, after a moments hesitation
emptying his pockets Of all their loose
change and throwing his pocketbook
on the table.
Now, l want twelve cents for car
fare and, well, say a quarter for lunch"
Here it is, answered Mrs. Grant,
counting out thirty-seven cents and
gathering up the rest.
Mrs. Grants thoughts wandered to
her husband many a time that day, and
she wondered how he liked the sensa-
ton Of being almost penniless. As for
herself she felt rich in having so much
money in her possession, and ventured
to make two or three little purchases
hat she had wanted 10 make fora long
time, but had put off because she dis
liked asking for the necessary money.
At least a dozen times that morning
Mr.. Grants hand found its way to his
pocket before he remembered that he
had only the exact change for his lunch
and car fare. At noon, when he went
out for lunch, he met an old friend, and
nothing but the ~nseiousness of his
empty pockets kept him from inviting
him to lunch with him. Then for the
first time he realized that il might pos
sibly be a trial to Eva never TO be able
to extend invitations to her friends. He
was not prepared to admit the ~inconve-
home that evening, though.
II got along first rate" he said, in
answer to his wife's question, "but I'll
ask you to give me q little more money
this evening"
VIVA sor?" demanded Eva, serene
ly.
"For 'sundries,'" laughed Mr.. Grant.
"Cigars, ct cetera; half a dollar will
do"
II don't see what you want cigars for"
answered Eva, calmly. IL guess you
can get along without them If You try.
Half the wants in this world are merely
imaginary ones"
Mr.. Grants face flushed; he recog-
nized the words as his own. He would
not ask again for any more money, but
settled himself with his paper in moody
silence, wishing that he had possession
of his pocketbook again. The first day
it had seemed more like a joke than any
thing else to start of for the day with
barely sufficient for his most necessary
expenses, but the next day it was decid-
eddy disagreeable to know that he had
not a single cent over the money for his
lunch and c~arfare.
"If Eva feels this way all the time /