The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-08-31
aMn. B.1o

count"
 "Ah, must pay him. shall pay him next week"
 aThat is just what you said five months ago.
 "Five months? Five days, you mean"
 "No, it has been i've months since this bill was first presented"
 'Biess me, how fast I live. But never mind now. must go to the store, for my troublesome clerk has taken foolish notion into his head that must help him take an account of stock and balance my books. Have my dinner ready when come back"
 "And what will you have?"
 "Roast that sirloin" "I have none"
 "I told the butcher to send in one"
 "But he says he won't. You owe him hun dred and seventy dollars now, and he won't send any more until he secs some chance of obtaining his pay"
 Mir Blowhard uttered the butchers name, and in connection herewith he uttered very profane expletive.
 aBut he is not to blame," said his good wife. "He knows that you squander away your money, and he cannot afford to lose his just dues"
 "I squander my money !" uttered Mr. Blowhard, throwing back his round head and looking very innocent. "Did you not give the lie direct to such monstrous assertion?"
 No, did not, Mir. B. How could l when I know it to be true1 Look at the party you had here to supper last night"
 "Dinner, my dear"
 "Well, call 1t dinner, then. Look at the party you had here Six of the worst fellows in town"
 "Six of the very best fellows, my dear"
 "Well, call them what you please. You have them here half the time eating your bread, and drinking your wine, and what do you get in return? Only empty bottles and empty pockets, and also tue loss of your credit"
 "You forget, my dear, my social nature" said Mir. B., argumentatively. "Those companions sus- tain the very brightest part of my life They exer- else my wit, keep my blood up, and keep my love alive An, you don't understand me. What are few bottles of wine compared with such enjoy ment?'
 "The wine you drank last night amounted to only about ten dollars. You tell me you pay one dollar bottle"
 "Of course, for I have the best. And what are ten dollars2"
 "Oh, not much. Only in the year, at the rate you go on, with your dinner parties twice, and sometimes three times, and often from four to six times & week, it amounts to somewhere about two thousand dollars."
 "whatl Are you crazy1 Two thousand dol lars7 Nonsense!"
 "There, reckon for yourself. know your par ties cost you, on an average ten dollars each, and you have them on an average four times week. Now, there are ffty-two weeks in year, and four times fifty two two hundred and eight-the number of parties-multiply that by ten, and see what you get" "Well-I declare-Pd no idea. But never mind. I'll run around and borrow Q couple of hundred from Harvey, and pay that annoying butcher for we must have meat, and then Pll think of these things."
 Harvey was the husband of one of the daughters, and MT. Blowhard borrowed the money of him, and paid the butcher and then instead of thinking of what his wife had said to him, he forgot all about it.
 In few evenings MT. B. had another party. His companions were all fond of good living like him. self, and they praised and toasted him without stint. Near midnight, Mrs. B. came into the room where they were, and she found her husband just in the act of showing the company how to knock of the head of bottle with knife. He struck as he had seen it done, and broke the bottle in two pieces but the break chanced to run lengthwise of the bottle, and the wine went on the floor. Mrs. B. had meant to speak to her husband about dis missing his company, for they were becoming uproarious; but she saw his social nature was far