The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-06-17
MY wIEE,S WAGES

The following sketch IS wrought
out Of substantial materials, the ex-
perience of many q woman IN mar
ri.d life, and ifs vivid character,
with the practical moral it carries, Is
excuse enough for its appearance
here: -
well, Nettie. what DO YOU WANT
said Mr.. Jarvis to his wife,who stood
looking rather anxieusly at him. at
ter he had paid the factory hands
their weeks wages.
"Why, Donalds' said she, Il
thought as / had worked for you all
the week, I would come for my wages
too. You pay Jane two dollars q
week, surely l earn that, and |
would Ike very much to have 1t as
my own
@Pshaw, Nettie, how ridiculous
you talk. You know that all l
have belongs to you and the chill
dren-and don't / furnish the house
and everything? What under the
sun would you do with the money
if you had it p
Il know. Donald that you buy the
necessaries for us al, and | am will
ling that you should do So still. but
/ should ike little money Of nv
verv own. We have been married
Is years, and in all that time | do
not seem to have earned a dollar
AS far as money Is concerned /
might as well be a slave. | can not
buy a quart of berries, or BOOK
without asking YOU for the money,
and should ike to be a little more
independent"
Mr-JarEis, proprietor OF JARVIS
mills, worth thousands and thous-
ands of dollars, laughed derislvely-
you're fine one to talk OF inde-
pendenee,r be said. If you would
start out to make your own living
you'd fetch UP a, the poor house
soon enough, for what could you do
to earn u living. The girls in the
factory know how 10 do their work
and they earn their wages. When I
have paid them off my duty Is done.
but / have to board aud eleiLe you,
and take care Of you when you IRE
sick. II | had to do that for the
girls / would nave precious little
money left, can tell you.
~DonaId, gave ap a good trade
when married you. Fer FIVE years
I had supported myself by it, and
many time since I have envied
myself the purse Of those days. A
for my not earning anything row, /
leave il to you 10 say whether it
would be possible to hire another 10
take my place and how much do
YOU suppose it would C, st 10 do with
out me year I? know the girls have
little after paying their expenses,
but they enjoy thar little so much.
Allie Watson supports herself aud
mother with her wages, and they
both dress better than do. Jennie
Hart is hi.ping her father to pay the
mortgage on the farm. and she Is
happy that she can do so. Even
Jane. the kitchen girl, has more
freedom than /, for out of her own
money she is laying by presents for
her relatives, and viii send them
Christmas Yesterday an Indian
woman was st the house with such
handsome oeadwork to sch, and. al
though / wanted some very much, |
had not dollar ! | felt like crying
when Jane bought half dozen OF
the articles I wanted so much. You
often say that all yoa have i mine,
but FIVE dollars would have given
me more pleasure yesterday than
your hundreds of thousands OF dol
lars worth Of property did,
= @So doub: of that, Mrs Jarvis.
You have nc idea of the value OF
money and would have enjoyed buy
ing a LOT of bead trash that would
not be worth q cent to anybody.
Jane needs 3 guardian if she fools
away her money ike that She viii
be in the county poor house yet if
she don't look out. It's very lucky,
indeed, that the men 90 bold the
money, for there's not one woman In
q hundred who knows how to use
IT.