The Press., 1885-04-23

- MT. Mitfiins dry goods store. Shoulder to shoulder the young men had worked their way till this financial crisis had brought all business men into temporary difficulties of greater or less magnitude. Will had expressed the warmest indigna- I ton at the proposal made his cousin, strongly advising him to throw up his s1t- nation and s'see how old Miffiin would get along without him." And Charlie, before seeing Mabel, was ready to follow his ad- vice.
 He knew that Will would think him mean to remain upon half salary, and yet Mabel was right Halfa loaf was better than no bread.
 And while Charlie Castleton was thus weighing the pros and cons of his decision, MT. Miffiin was listening to the counsel of his old friend and chnm, the senior part ner of the firm that had been Gardner & Miffiin, and who, though he had retired years before, was still the friend and fre- quent advisor of his former partner. ''It is mistake, Miffiin, he said. ''You had better send young Castleton about his business and engage an entirely } new book-keeper You will find that half pay means half service, mark my word ''Bnt might search G. from end to end and not find clerk competent to take l his place..
 "Then pay him full salary 'I cannot do it unless I reduce the num-
 Der of salesmen, and then l am short handed now There is but one way to keep my head above water. You see ) Clarks failure involves me very heavily,
 and" And the worried man of business entered
 into explanations of his difficulties not
 necessary to repeat here
 It touched Charlie Castleton very deep l ly when entering the counting house to
 announce his determination to remain in his old position to see the face of his en-
 ployer brighted And as Charlie spoke the large eyes grew brighter, and he
 smiled pleasantly as he said,- '"Thank you, Charlie. It would have
 caused me serious embarrassment to lose t you, and I am heartily glad that you will
 stay. l trust you will not long be obliged : to take small salary, but circumstances
 compel me to economize."
 j. ''You have been kind employer to me
 for ten years" replied Charlie, 'and if l a am really of any more value to you than
 another would be in my place I will not n desert you"
 And looking into the carewOrn face that I trouble was marking more deeply than
 age, Charlie resolved to serve MT. Miffiin e more faithfully in his perplexties than in
 his more prosperous days.
 " It was not long before the old gentle
 man felt the sympathy of his young clerk !, and looked to him as he never did before, for advice as we'll as for service. He ad # mitted him to confidential relations, ex.
 plained to him the difficulties caused by O the failure of other firms, some heavily in.
 debted to the firm of Joel Miffiin, othels q upon whom he had depended for goods ob
 tained upon credit.
 Day by day as the hard, trying winter W wore away the two friends grew faster Q and so far from lessening his work Charlie found himself willingly lifting some of his e employers burdens upon his own shonl
 ders.
 i- He gave more time to business, and he
 was gaining an insight into it, of which all V, opportunity had never been given him. y And Mabel, at home, was bravely taking ;+ her share of the diminished loaf with {
 smiling face and cheerful heart. As fa1 q as might be she kept from Charlie knowl
 edge of her domestic economies, but some y of them were apparent.
 The woman whose competent aid de 10 manded high wages was dismissed, and {
 half-grown girl was engaged to mind tht ,t babies while Mabel cooked and washed ' and ironed and sewed, meeting difficulties 1t with a courageous heart. She had neve
 been a drone in the worlds hive, having re been busy little dress maker befor
 Charlie Castleton won her heart and tool
 her to preside over his pretty home.
 But for three years of her married Tiff
 she had been much petted, and there wer
 many pleasures to be put aside, many dol d, lars well weighed before they were spent IS It was with heart full of pardonabl IT, triumph that tle young couple at the en Us of the year of reduced pay found the
 were still out of debt and had not touche II, the nest egg in the bank.
 'lt "You see, Charlie, we made the ha d. loaf go round," said Mabel as they wer to carefully over the years expense book.
 "There are no crumbs" he said, with lt rather weary face.
 ng Never mind that; it was great de' re better than idleness." nd "You are right; and there was mol . than that Mabel. I, have been able m help MT. Miff1in more than I could haN
 done in our old relations to each othe to His perplexities made him long for son
 one to whom he could speak confidentla as ly, and when the ice was once broken lat took me fully into his confidence. coul nd often suggest way out of difficulty tn had not occurred to him, and even when
 
 m, to pour out his troubles to some one wi le:: was in full sympathy with him. mt "But you have worked very hard, Charli en I never saw you so tired as you often ha, n,t been this year, and your face is more car ch worn than it has ever been before" "Well, it is some comfort to know th ch business prospects are growing brighte ed By closest economy MT. Miffiin has ma ys aged to meet the obligations he was afrai would ruin him, and there Is 8 good lool |: out for the coming year."
 ls- ."Will he give you whole loaf ye an Charlie? -..... -..... rtt s'Not yet, think. Never mind. W of will not despond yet. :" ln ""Despond I guess not. I am goin to have some of these crumbs you wei ny speaking of next year. I have learne :. some valuable lessons in saving which lie mean to make use of" to The second year was certainly not a Die easy one to Mabel A wee baby, in at rd dition to three -years-old twins, kept tf nk mothers hands busy, while there was r he decrease in the household work. Man [a- articles of clothing and housekeeping, to- 'e. that lasted well one year, were past Sc