New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-08-11
HAPPY -GO-LUCKY FAMILY.
BY ". WENTWORTH.

BY W wHnwoRTH.
From Cleveland Leader
1t was in q small town near the
Ohio river where first met the CLAP
py-go-Lucky" family. They were not
known by that title at this period,
though. Then it was t'Bill Raddles"
and his wife and five children, living
in a small cottage on the outskirts of
the settlement. Raddle was employ
ed in an old grist mill where 1 held q
situation for brief period, and thus
became acquainted with few of the
remarkable peculiarities of himself
and family. He was middle-aged
man with a thin ring of whitish brown
hair round an extensive bald spot
on the top of his head, the mild
est-looking, easiestgoing man l had
ever met. Nothing ever disturbed
the even tenor of his happy temporal
ment. 1don't believe an earthquake
would have gwen him more than mo-
mentary uneasiness. A sharp Or cross
word never came from his placid lips.
Half the time he would 90 with one or
both OF his shoes united, his panta-
looms hanging by one suspender, quite
frequently fastened by nail or piece OF
bent wire, while both shirt sleeves
would be dangling over his hands from
need OF buttons. Give him his short
pipe, and a plate OF mush to appease
his appetite when hungry, and he was
the most contented man alive.
The peculiar characteristic OF him
self and wife was early shown in the
matter of the dinners he brought
to the mill. On Monday he had
bread and meat, with coffee we'll
seasoned by sugar and cream. On
Tuesday the cream had faded to milk,
with trif1ing decrease in the sueared
sweetness. Wednesday lost the meat
while there was the barest suspicion
OF milk and sugar in the coffee pail.
Sometimes on Thursday there might
be a slim suggestion OF butter on his
bread; during the last two days dry
crust and black, sugarless and milk
less coffee never failed to obtain. Dur
ing the entire six months of my stay
in the mill never knew this gradual
ton in his eating programme to fail.
On Monday he was in the clover of
high living, sometimes increased by an
extra dab of leftover luxury from the
lavish get-up of Sundays din
ner; and then down stairs to regular
taper of poverty, as it might be called,
or tasteless coffee and dry bread at
the end of the week. And the curious
thing of it was that while he seemed
to fairly revel in the Mondays extra
feast, he ate his coarse fare of Fridays
and Saturdays with all the satisfied
relish OF a perfectly contented mind
Affairs at home were conducted on
precisely the same "happy-go-lucky"
principle. When there was plenty in
the larder, the entire family rushed in
to a feast with all the careless vim Of
having not a thought beyond the pre-
sent. Invariably, Sunday dinner cost
more than three of all the week put
together. Neither Raddle nor his wife
seemed to have a thought for any re-
quirements beyond the passing hour.
1t did not appear to make a particle
of difference whether the income of the
family was circumscribed to the ten
shilings a day earned by Raddle, or
was increased to twice that sum by
the earnings of Mrs. R. and the older
children; while the money lasted they
lived in the clover of plenty, then
Uapered to beggery at the close.
Losing sight of the family during
several years, again found them,
this time in Cleveland. I scarcely
knew them at first, they were in such
comfortable circumstances. They
lived in quite snowy house, having
a millinery store IN front, kept by Mrs
Raddle and her oldest daughter. Two
Of the other children were earning
wages, and Raddle himself was in re-
ceipt OF a higher salary than he had
ever gained before. Altogether there
was steady income of more than
twenty dollars a week.
"You will be laying by something
for a rainy day in the savings bank, +"
I suggested to Raddie.
Well, no; not yet, they hadn' t
thought of it. In fact, with all the
increase of income, they were living In
about the same drag as of old. They
had book account at the grocery,
at the butchers, the shoemaker's,
and in al the other places where they
dealt, and before pay day arrived the
the whole amount OF money earned
was consumed with not a dollar left
! over for the wants of the future. 1t
was the same big spread ofluxuries OH
Sunday followed by q lessening scale
down to mush and dry bread later in
the week as OF yore.
| Not alone this; but neither Raddle
nor his wife appeared to possess the
slightest idea OF apportioning expen-
/ penses to income. AS soon as increase
Of income began Mr.. Raddle found a
new SIS wringer in the house.
Said Mrs. Raddle:-
civilian, got that mighty cheap.
Paid 81 dollar down, and I'm only to
give twenty-five cents week till the
balance is paid. We shall never feel
the payments a Bit
chats So" was Raddle's, satisfied