The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-09-10
MRS. CARLETON'S ECONOMY.
BY CECILIA K. GIBSON.

BY CECILIA K. GIBSON.
When pretty Mrs. Tom Carleton
was first married, she thought as
every woman in the world has thought,
that her husband would henceforth
devote himself to her alone. That he
would worship and adore her, walk
with her, talk with her, stay with her,
have no friends but OF her choosing,
no interests apart from her, no hap
plness in which she could not share,
be her friend, adviser, confident, low
er, husband-in fact, that she would
be all OF earth, and part OF heaven to
him. What then was her idisappoint-
ment, before the honeymo onswas over,
to discover that she had a formidable
rival, whose claims threatened to in
terfere seriously with her happiness.
This rival, not OF flesh and blood,
bore the familiar soubriquet OF the
"Almighty Dollar"
Tom was a patriot, and reverence
for his country and it's coin was part
OF his education and religion Mrs.
Tom was a shrewd little woman nat
urally, and had she known before they
were married that Toms father was
indigenous to the land OF wooden nut
.megs, and that, in truth, he had been
repeatedly accused OF squeezing a
penny till the eagle squealed,"s she
might have resented the insult to the
bird OF freedom by refusing to marry
the son OF such sire. But of all these
family traits she was kept in blissful
ignorance until after the wedding,
when they worked out of themselves,
little by little, like frothy yeast from
leaky vessel.
First, she learned how "Grandfather
Carleton had made his fortune selling
sklmmilk cheeses and sour milk; how
"uncle Ephraim" had started in life
with half a dozen cabbages for his
stock in trade, had eaten the outside
leaves, sold the solid heads and re-
cruited his stock from the profits;
how amos had made a fortunate
deal peddling tin-ware in exchange for
rags in the country, and how his own
dear father had laid the foundation OF
his success in life saving wood for an
education in the winter, and herding
cattle for his board in the summer.
All these family annals were reasur-
TO hrIC ~
nlsh abundant food for reflection; and
when, IN the course of time, it became
necessary to tap the family vault, it
was not with fear and trembling she
MADE the initiatory move. But the
tlmld rat-tat-tat rebOunded on her
own pate, and it was not until her
spirit was reused, and she had had
a resolute skirmish with the knocker,
that she succeeded in efecting diff
cult and unWelcome entrance. But
the skirmishes continued, and the
family motto, "Save the pennies"
was hurled at her from time to time
until at last the truth was fairly force
ed upon her that the family Inherit
ance had descended to her own dear
Tom, and that he was really and in
dlsputably parsimonious. zst@&sg
Aside from this failing Tom Carleton
was not bad fellow. Honest, good
natured, sympathetic and affection
ate, he was very proud of his young
wife, and would not for the world
have caused her distress. Had he
known OF the bitter feeling at work in
the depths of her heart he would have
been frightened at the thought of any
thing coming between their happiness.
Nay, he would even have parted with
some Of his precious dollars rather
than lmperil the love OF his pretty wife,
even though the parting had given him
pain. But he did not know and there
fore, was not so much to blame. Nor
did he guess that in many WAYS his
manners annoyed his wife beyond ex-
preston Did she bake potatoes for
dinner Tom ate the skins to save
them; Tor the same reason he munched
dry bread and mouldy cheese .rinds,
while to pick and scrape bone was,
IN his estimation, pleasure amount
ing to rapture. Had Tom been poor,
Jennie Carleton would have MUNICH
ed the dry bread with him: and glad
ly relinquished his share Of the pre-
cious cheese rinds in order that he
might enjoy them all; but Tom was
not poor, and more than once it had
been limited by intimate friends and
acquaintance that she was overtax-
Ing her strength doing her own work.
ut is an insult" said her brother
Jack, hotly,'' for man to ask deli
cate woman, who has never been ac-
custonned to work, to leave a. comfor-
table home for the privilege of being
his household drudge, and I'd be
hanged if I'd do it if I were a. girl.
Tom is abundantly able to hire help,
and I'd make him do it,"
Again a neighbor would remark:
"What a fortunate lumber deal that
was of Mr.. Carleton's," while she
opened her blue eyes wide with aston
ishment; or, Allow nice it is for you
that the Goodrich farm has fallen in
to Mr.. Carleton's hands. It is one of
the finest farnls in the country. What
does your husband intend to do with
it?"
eve haven't decided yet," this arch
hypocrite would observe, while drink
ing in the unexpected news, and then
she would fall to svOndering whv Ton,