The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-30

i
bivalves, and he proposed that they
should 60 in and take some.
TO this his friend did not dernur, and
they accordingly entered. Two plate:
of oysters came to thirty cents. Besides
this. they :ook a glass o. soda each,
which made ten cents more. This
brought up the bill to forty cents, which
Stetson paid Accordingly, adding tc
this fifteen cents for cigars, he de-
po-ited iifty-five cents in his wife's hand:
that evening.
81 might as we'll make it sixty" said
he, smiling.
"No," said she. "Not cent over. J
want the savings to represent exactly
what you spend on these little luxuries,
and no more"
The next evening he had nothing tt
deposit, except the usual amount OF
cigars.
at won't amount up very fast at that
rate" said he, triumpnantly.
"Neycr mind" said his wife. 90
don't want you to increase your expendI'
lures on nv account. / am inclined tc
j think they will not often be as small as
this.
She was right.
The next day, being Wednesday. John
Stetson brought home couple OF tickets
for the theatre. It was Il bencht night.
and he was anxious that his wife should
50. ;,
"Certainly," said she. 81 shall be
glad to go; but you remember our com
pact"
"WhatW
"How much did you pay for the
tickets!"
"fifty cents apiece"
"That will make q dollar. Please
hand me that amount for our fund"
"Was the theatre included:" said
Jchn, a little reluctantly.
"Certainly. That was expressly men
toned"
"Ch. we'll, then, so let it be. Here is
a silver dollar"
The dollar was at once dropped into
the box.
The next day, in passing shop win.
dow, Stetson noticed some fine oranges.
"Just what Mary and the children
would like" thought he. "lll go IN
and inquire the price"
They were four cents apiece. He
bought half dozen, at n cost of quar-.
ter, which with his cigar money, left him
thirty-seven cents to deposit.
| The succeeding day he spent nothing
except for cigars. On Saturday he
stepped into q confectionery establish.
ment with friend and had lunch.
! When his wife added up the daily
sums, she found to her own surprise
even, that she had received from hei
husband two dollars and sixty-two cents.
| He would have been astonished to hear
it, but she thought it not best to say any.
thing about it. He would have alleged
that IT was special case, as they did
not 90 to the theatre every week. This
was true; but then, something else was
sure to come of equivalent cost, such o.
ride or a concert.
So time slipped away. The necessity,
according to the compact, of giving his
wife as much as.he spent for incidental
expenses, no doubt contributed to check
him somewhat. so that probably he did
not spend more than two-thirds as much
in tn way as he had done before the
agreement. Still, he kept up to the
average of the first week.
We will now suppose the year to have
glided by. John Stetson came into the
Sitting room with preoccupied air.
"What are you thinking about"
asked his wife.
"About the half-acre lot adjoining the
one Homes bought last year"
"Did you wish to purchase it,"
eyes; l should like to; but of course
can't, not having the money"
"How much do they ask for it,"
"Holmes paid hundred dollars for
his. This is, on some accounts, prefer
able, and they hold it at one hundred
and twenty-five dollars"
"Perhaps you could raise the money,
john" said his wife, quietly.
"By borrowings I shouldn't want to
do that"
"You remember our fund.-"
"Pshaw That may possibly amount
to thirty or forty dollars"
"Supposc we count it, as the year Is
up to-day"
every we'll"
The box was opened, and husband and
wife commenced counting. They soon
reached, and passed. forty dollars.
"Bless my soul.' said John Stetson.
81 had no idea there was so much"
What was his astonishment when the
total proved to be one hundred and
twcnty-nine dollars and forty cents!
"You see you can buy the lot"
''But haven't you sweled the amount
from Your own Allowance" he asked,
somewhat bewildered.
"Not by ent; and don't you see,
John, that if you had refrained from
even half of the expenses we spoke OF.
we might have had in the neighborhood
of two hundred dolars'"
John Stetson did see, and be deter
mined that the lesson should be ser
viceable one. The half-acre lot was
bought, and now, at the end of five
wears, it is worth double what he paid
for it. He has also laid aside two hun
dred dollars a year during this period,
and all by small savings. s. Yankee B!ade.