The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-03-06
THE FACE OF A DOLLAR.
1t Shut Out the Joys of Life from
Mr.. Prounce.

''But you'll die some day, Mr.. Prounce,
and you'll have to leave your bank stock
behind you then. You may as well have
some good of it while you live This butter
is only a cent more pound than that
ga cent spoils the face of dollar,
Joram" was the reply, in a rasping voice
"Why, I've got a butter here that's fifty
cents pound"
Fifty cents pound for BUTTER Fifty
cents for something that melts in the sun
that
''That melts in the mouth" said the
young grocery man, In answer to Mr.
Prounce, who sat on a nail key beside the
huge stove, which every once in awhile he
tried as laundry women sometimes do their
f1atirons why" continued Joram, there's
some they call gilt edge-and there are
those that won't eat any other-that sells
for eighty cents and dollar"
Mr.. Prounce drew his breath with
whistle. cts wicked,n said he. cts
criminal. And some folks wanting bread !!
Wanting bread and books The trade in
butter ought to be discontinued"
''Weu, Mr., Prounce,' said the astopished
young man, "That's new idea Do you
want to ruin me!'
"You must get out of the business if you
don't want to be ruined" said Mr.. Prounce
briskly. Eyes, it ought to be discontinued.
It's as unprincipled as the trade in rum.
pll-I'll be blamed if / won't begin it'll
be blamed if won't! And perhaps there'n
follow enough suit to bring things down to
living prices. If my folks can go without,
other folks can. Anything that can be
abused so, | say, is as bad as the liquor
trade. You may give me a pound of
cheese, Joram, when 1 go home, and a
dozen red herring"
They're a good deal cheaper by the
box, said Joram, beginning to hum:
"If you ask me for a penny,
shall say haven't any"
''No, they're not returned Mr. Prounce
They dry up, and don't go so far by a
to a fine point, Joram. There's no apple
pairing wasted in our house. l should feel
twas like flying in the face of bountiful
Providence if there was.n
"Ive heard as much" said the clerk
stopping his music long enough to say it.
Il know what you mean now, Joram, !"
said Mr.. Prounce. "But let me tell you
those can laugh that win. When you hear
folks say old Prounce is small, you just ask
them if his bank account is small. And
you just stop and think that going without
luxuries is easy when you are used to it
yourself, though it's troublesome to keep
other folks at the same mark; but when
you see your bank account go sailing up to
the head and mortgages fall due and farms
fall in, the farms of those other folks who
didn't go without and laughed at you for
going, why, then the laughs on the other
side of the mouth. But as was saying,
it's hard keeping other people up to the
mark. They actually sometimes act as if
they thought l meant to be mean-my
women folks are dreadful extravaganza
and poor Mr. Prounce drew a sigh, for
which he seemed to be only medium; it
had it's birth so far down, as it were in the
very bowels of the earth. And then he
took his cheese and his red herring and
went softly out; he always trod softly on
account of the wear of sole leather.
And Joram looked after him, and won
dered how anybody so unlovely could be
the father Of anybody SO entirely lovely as
Pauliny, the brown-eyed beauty to whom
his troth was plighted, but to whom he could
not be married for indefinite periods, chiefly
because her mother was poorly and her
father could not spare her, having no one
else to do the work and Pauliny had some
,old-fashioned ideas of obedience
Its sin and a shame" said Joram to
Paulinv, coming home with her once, and
lingering under the throbbing stars with
an enjoyment they could not have else
where. Their young blood did not feel the
frost and the chill of the crusted snow, they
were only half conscious of the icy glory of
the winter night, so rapt were they in
themselves, their passion and their poverty
''When | see lot of idle fellows with their
horses and their yachts and more money
than brains it's sin and shame, | say,
that can't afford to hire girl for you so
that you could let her stay and do the
homework you do now, and you come to
me, my dear, and we have the happiness OF
our livesl"
~ don't know, Joram, dear" Pauliny
murmured, hesitating look on her sweet
pale face. 81 don't know as it would make
any difference, II couldn't leave mother
It's dreadful for her now" she said, the
tears springing. II don't know what il
would be for her without me-"
''She'd get along every mite as well
You'd be running in to see her every day
and oftener, and she to see you; and she'C
be living what you might call a new life il
ours and be great sight happier than she
is now. But there, it's no use talking it,
all a castle in the air.n