Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-08-19


instant they were summoned to the
parlor, and his sentence was left un-
finished.
The wedding was over, the refresh
ments taken, and good-by tears and
kisses exchanged. and our young couple
were safely of, and launched at last
upon the sea of practical life.
Their bridal journey was very de-
lightfnl one; after it was over, they
went cozily to housekeeping in a little
nest of home, and Rosa proved a
most thrifty little housekeeper.
She had written her little note of
thanks to Uncle Joel. while they were
away. And when they set up their
household gods, the old scrap-book
was consigned to high shelf in an
upper closet and entirely forgotten.
For the fret two years of their we'd
ded life, all went smoothly. Harry
had good situation as book-keeper in
an uptown establishment, at a fair
living salary. But the third year,
hard times began to come. A fnan-
cial crisis fell upon the whole country,
and many of the best firms went down
before it.
The firm Harry was in became in
volved, and were obliged to lower his
salary.
"Oh, well, we can liye saving I" said
Rosa, cheerfully, when he told her the
bad news. $50 you keep your place,
we'll get along"
"But I fear it may come to not keep
ing it," said Harry. "Mr. Bridgman
thinks there is no danger, but Mr.. Tay-
lor knows better, and so do 1. We
must be prepared to face the worst, if
it comes, my dear"
"Let us hope it won't come," said
Rosa. cat least, don't run halfway
to meet it. I'll help you all 1 can"
She did help, like a brave girl,
keeping down expenses as much as she
could, when Harry's means grew mar
rover, and turning every odd and end
to advantage. Harry tried hard to
keep up his spirits, but as the winter
advanced, and the financial pressure
only grew heavier, he began to look
blue. They had never been extrava.
CANT, but had lived within their in
come, and lived it up as they went a
long.
1--WE ought to have saved some
thing" he said, almost with groan,
one evening. "Now if 1 get out of
situation in the dead of winter, IN the
midst of a panic, can't hope to get
another place, very soon, and what
shall we do p
"Don't cross the bridge until you
come to it, Harry p quoted Rosa,
laughing at him, though her heart was
very heavy.
"I'll try not, but, Rosa, dear. do
fear we are not far from the bridge"
was his gloomy answer.
In few days more he told her that
the,worst was almost certain, and he
expected, every day, that his firm
would 60 down. Rosa still cheered
him up, but she shed many tears when
she was alone. They would have to
leave their pleasant home because they
could no longer pay the rent, and that
was great grief to her. Then, what
if even worse than that came? She
had horror of getting into debt
what could they do2 And many
plans she laid by which she could earn
a little to meet their present wants,
when Harry was at work. But none
Of them seemed very promising, and
one afternoon when there was meet
ing of the creditors of Bridgman and
Taylor which would detain Harry, and
make their supper very late. Rosa sat
in her sitting-room very lonely little
girl.
Empty purses make idle needless
she had really nothing to do, not even
anything new to read.
"I'll go up and see if there isn't
something Of Harry's that wants mend
Ing" she said, at last and up she went,
to the closet where she kept his cloth
ing, hoping to find there work with
which to pass away the dull afternoon.
But everything was in prim order
not even a button off. And she was
about turning away from the closet,
when she CHANGED spy on the shelf the
old scrap.book which had been laid up
there out of sight.
"The old thing" she said, half.
laughing, half-vexed. II had forgot
ten all about it But l remember
now, Uncle Joel said it might help to
pass lonely hour, and this is just the
time! Perhaps those old-fashioned
stories may be worth reading after all.
Anyway, I'll take it downstairs and
try it.
She pulled the old volume down
from the shelf, and with some little
effort carried it down to her coy sit