St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-09-14
Sure to Come Handy.

What sort of insane folly is 1t that pos
sesses some of US at times, and makes US
save all our odds and ends of every descrip-
ton under the deluson that they will
fscome handy" some time? They never do
come handy, but we cling to them with
great tenacity instead of having the good.
ness to bestow them ON the ashman as his
rightful prerogatives. My wife and have
well developed economical tendencies, and
we pride ourselves on never wasting q
thing that may "be useful or come
handy" at any time in the dim future.
have read of men of wealth, who traced
the beginning of their riches back to the
time when they carefully saved pieces OF
Irvine, never cutting it from a bundle, but
carefully untying it and laying it away for
future use, until they must have had a
barrel or two of old Irvine lying around
some place. Once read of millionaire
who set his fellow-men an example OF
thrift by getting out of his carriage and
picking up rusty nail he saw by the road
side and emulated his example until
had about forty pounds of old rusty, bent
and broken nails lying around and about
once in S. x months 8 q pound or two
OF them III trying TO tiuu one that ] could
drive into board without bending or
breaking. st last | sold the lot for old
iron, and got ten cents for them. Then l
began to reform. The other day [ began
reforming my wife. | was cleaning out
the accumulation of years in closet IN the
basement, and piling most OF its contents
up for the aShman. when my wife came
down stairs, There are some things In
that closet [ want saved she said !;
''they'll come handy some time" But
resolved to be. firm. You don't want
this | said, holding up an old teakettle
without any spout and with six big holes
in the bottom Of it. "Well, it might come
handy for something some day" | tossed
it into the ash barrel and held up pair OF
very old boors, discarded four years ago,
anu now green with mold. mo use in
saving these, is there 2" l asked well,
l don't know little piece of leather
or something" | called to mind a pair OF
followed tie teakettle Nv hat do you
want this rusty old hoopskirt for?" :'Oh,
a piece of hoopskirt wire often GENES
in useful in house" at hasn't been
asked for in this house since before the
war" | said. Heres an old hat Of mine
that's been lying around nine years. Bet
ter throw it away, hadn't l?' "Well, per
haps SO. I've often thought of giving it
to some poor man, but | forget it every
time tramp comes around. | gave it to
one tramp, and he went off and left it on
the front gate post" Showed his good
sense" said. "Do you want all these
old broken dishes?' Yes; I'll have
therr all mended some day. I've intended
having it done for years" When her back
was turned they went into the ash barrel.
No use in saving these old bottles, eh p
"Well, bottles handy thing to have
around. Better save them" my dear,
| said, f'here are at least seventy five old
bottles, and to my certain knowledge we
don't use one year, and think we can
trust our great great-great-great grand
children to get their own bottles; SO here
they 60" In the same daring, reckless
way threw away three OLD brushes, old
bonnets, breeches, lamps, skillets, hair
combings, shoes, sawdust, tin pans, old
papers, popcorn, wormy walnuts. soap
grease, broken lamps, spoutless teapots,
bottomless coffee pots, cracked kettles,
and scores of other things that had years
and years and years waited their turn to
'come handy" but which never would or
could 'come handy" in this world, or in
the world to come Detroit Free Press.
Save Your Own Bacon.