The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-12-31
HOW A MISER WAS CURED.

Jonas Pray was born stingy; he hid
his sweetmeats from his little brothers
when he was a child, and smoked his
cigar alone when he vas a youngman.
BY the time he was forty he was a
very rich man, though he lived as
plainly as ever, and somehow about
that age the first tender feelings he
hadever known crept into his heart.
He fell in love with a buxom, good.
tempered young woman named Sara
Woolwich, and offered himself to her.
He was not an Unlocking man, and
when he chose could make himself
agreeable. Sara liked him and &C
copied him.
Jonas meant to be liberal to her at
first, but after a brief honeymoon, his
old habits resumed their sway, and
atlast, the second winter oftheir mar
ried life coming on, Sara found that
all her remarks about her shabby
summer hat had no effect whatever,
and that she might wait a long time
without having such q thing as a COM
Portable cloak suggested to her. She
had been a poor girl and had no
trousseau to speak OF, and she found
it necessary to put her pride in her
pocket and ask for what she needed.
1t was hard enough for a wife to do
that, but to be refused was something
she had not calculated on.
She knew that her husband had g.
large bank account-that there was no
reason why she should not be dressed
as well as any lady In the land. But
when she had said playfully, "Jonas,
shall / buy myself some winter things
to-day? l need a shawl dreadfully The
had answered, II thought you were
too sensible a woman to run after the
fashions, Sara; I'm sure you have
very decent things that you might
wear q long time yet"
''That shows how much men know
Sara answered, determined to be
pleasant and not show that she was
hurt. "You would not like your wife
to look shabby, Jonas9"
swell, no." said Jonas, ''no; but
really, Sara, money is so scarce just
now. Done you think you might
make what you have do you q little
longer?D
"How much longer9" she asked,
quietly.
ooh, r don't know" said Jones, 81
had an aunt who left re something
when she died, who wore the same
shawl and bonnet sixteen years, and
boosted of it, too"
His wife looked at him and said
nothing.
Economy is o great thing, Sara
said Jonas, uneasily. cit would be
dreadful to die in the poor house, you
know; and you don't care for other
peoples admiration, do you, Sara,
when you know your Jonas likes you
Just as well inyour well-saved clothes!
We won't call them shabby, Sara,
oEiy well-sayed..'
Call them what you please, Jonas
they merit both epithets."
She sat quietly, with her hands
folded on the table before her, for q
while. Her temper was raising fast
but she had sense enough 10 crush il
down.
A miser is the victim OF a vice that
master him just as a drunkard is
Jonas was ashamed of himself ever az
ne spoke, and she knew it. AS she
looked at him a little while grief came
instead or anger. There was so much
that was good about Jonas. 1t was
terrible to see this canker creeping
over It ell: to see the pinched lines
about his mouth, the strange, anxious
look In his eyes. Sara thought d
stories she had read about misers
how they starved themselves while
they counted their gold; how some 81
them died In the dark tosave candles
and how, through a long illness one 81
them yefused to have q pillow bought
for him, or even q little saucepan In
which to heat his porridge. Would
Jonas grow to be as bad as these
How could she tell? Once or twice o
late he had found fault with til,
amount used, and moaaed over hil
butchers bill. But men generally die
something of that sort. shehad heard
and men knew nothing about dress
She arose, softly, and went out of til,
room. and brought back her shawl ant
bonnet and laid them before MIN OF