The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-24

before tn, vounp men of the metropolis.
The frugal youth who saves fifteen cents oy
| eating a CHEAP lunch. and then spendlnE
eleven dollaI on a dinner for two ls quite
common in these parts, ana notui,e snot'
| of the limited express for Cahaua IN TO-
garded as fast. -
81 had known Jack to have spasms OF
economy before. l had seen him buy a
pair of shoes for six dollars, instead OF
eight, rs he had ut first intended anu iof
the next six weeks wherever he haa an III
clination to spend two dollars ne dlu SO,
because after all it was only the two uolaIs
which he had saved on the shoes. ne
really was frugal in that way; he could
make the thought of Il little saving last
through more extravasances than any otner
man / ever saw, And sometimes he carried
his frugality into small things. lie woulu
not think of smoking n twentv-hve cehS
cigar after dinner; he would buy three ZOE
half a dollar and smoke two OF them.
knowing him SO we'll, | was anxious 70
hear the story of the little bank. and had
no idea that it would be necessary 10 wait
a wear for it. | felt reasonably sure tnat a
financial panic would overtake that lnstltu-
| ton long before its charter ran out. III was
in November that | had the nrst converse
ton with him about it. Last week he
came to see me again: and. with a counte-
nance in which pride and humlllty sttuR-
pled for the mastery, he presented the nrst
land last) annual report Of tho Leigh
Hartley institution of savings.
Il won't hear anybody say a word asalns5
that bank said he. 1T was q splenaiu
idea. and tie most convenient thing that
ever was. 1t made money. too. at the start.
| made it a point to have quiet a lot OF
dimes and quarters every time l called.
| When | happened to be out of change l
would go into a candy store not Inr from
| her house and get a bill broken. Oh course
| had to buy some candy as a return 1or the
| accommodations: but that didn't count. l
| should have spent the money anyway.
.lt was awfully handy, having the bank,
because sometimes when | called I'd be ut
terly busted, and wouldn't know where l
| was going to GET a half a dollar for break
| fast next morning. Then we'd draw on the
bank, and it was great fun fishing out the
| quarters with a hat pin. She was president
of the bank and I was cashier, and we used
to learn the principles of banking by watch,
ing each other all the time. Sometimes I'd
| play that | was trying to get the money and
abscond. Then she'd have to hold my
| hands"
Don't, jack" said 1; 'let's stick to
finance"
at was wonderful the way the funds held
out" he continued. We got any quantity
OF theater tickets out of it. She would al
WAYS protest against making such an i'm
proper use of the banks money, but l would
show her that we had a rafting surplus,
and that would settle it. Well, last week,
you know, l was in a difficulty: had only
$40 coming to me and / owed $65. Pay
ment couldn't be put off any longer; | had
tried every scheme but flight and suicide
The case was getting desperate when sud
denly I bethoucht me of the bank. Ii
didn't seem possible that there could be al
much as $40 in it, but there was only one
way to find out, and, that evening, l laic
the case before the president. Most fell
lows would be ashamed to mention such
thing, but she has always urged me to be
perfectly frank with her.
1.-THE president looked serious. She saie
in a hesitating way that she was afraid
there wasn't quite so much money III thu
safe. but there were various securities, etc
81 knew what she meant. She proposed T.
put the balance into the bank herself. o