The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1891-01-02

said Obadiah, Juggling wildly at his wills
kers.
eyes indeed, -" said /, wringing my hands,
1--WE must! But I'm sure Oby, dear. we are
neither Of US extrayagant. We must eat, we
must drink, we must live.
And Obadiah and l sat and looked at
each other in a sort Of mild despair.
We had only been married six months,
Obadiah and |. We were very young both
OF us, and perhaps we had begun the world
too early. Our relations told us we hadn't
any business to marry; but as their gratuit-
GUS opinions were all they had given us,
we had not paid much attention to these
utterances.
We had taken a little one story cottage
just Off the high road, which was to let
cheap, because there were only two rooms
and a kitchen to it. But what did Obadiah
and | want with more than two rooms and
a kitchen? | had the furniture which Grand
mother Newcome had given me, and a rag
carpet which my poor mother had woven
the winter before she died. To be sure
our accommodations where not extensive,
but we did not expect to hold fashionable
receptions, or give large dinner parties.
Obadiah had plenty Of work in the wool.
len factory down by the depot, aud hung
out my little sign, ID ressmaking and MILF
merry, " and hoped that some one would see
it, and come in and give me an order. But
no one came. had plenty of time after
my housekeeping duties were over in the
morning, and l couldn't be always bees
waxing the furniture, arranging the cup
board or polishing the windows.
Il wish could get some dressmaking 10
don' said wistfully; for obadiah's earn
ing were small, and I did so long for a dollar
or two of my own.
"Why don't you advertise in the village
paper?" said old Mr.. Meggs.
Obadiah burst out laughing.
advertiser said be. "Why, what on
earth do you take us for, Mr.. Meggs? 1t
costs a deal of money to advertise"
ut costs something, certainly" said Mr.
Meggs, thoughtfullv strokiug his chin,
''but then it calls the public attention to
the particular sort of iron you have in the
fire."
"a little local paper like that" said
Obadiah, rather contemporary.
..It's local custom that your wife wants.
isn't it?:" said MIR. Meggs.
"And / never did think much of news
papers, added Obadiah.
So that settled the question; and after
ward, whsn the woollen factory cut down
all the wages of the workmen twenty per
cent, and coal went up. and the winter
set in hard and cold and we began to con.
slider the question Of how and where we
could economic, the local paper was al
most the first thing upon which Obadiah
settled.
THAT at least is an unnecessary extra
vagance," " he said.
WINGED a little. The Boggsville Herald
had been my companion for more lonely
evenings than I cared to remember.
''It's only a dollar and 2 half a year, Oba-
diab,'' said l, land really it's a very inter-
esting little paper"
"Just a dollar and a half too much,''
said my husband. CURLY. 1.-THE subscrip-
tion is just cut. I'll tell them to stop it;
Josie, and you can easily borrow Mrs.
Meggs' paper"
was silent. | never could make Oba-
diah understand the deep rooted aversion
to borrowing" of any creature whatever,
that l had inherited from my mother.
So we cut down. the weekly paper and
left off using butter, and burned can
dies a:penny a pound cheaper; and | speng-
ed and cleaned and rebound and new-but-
toned Obadiah's greatcoat instead OF buy
ing a new one, aud left off going to church
because nv old cloak was so shabby and
l couldn't afford anything better.
And. oh, | how did miss the Boggsville
Herald.
of could only get dressn.aking todo,"
said | to myself. But | cannot bear to ask
Obadiah for a cent of his hard earned
money"
/ was sitting, very sad and lonely, one
freezing February day, by the window, try
ing to mead one of Obadiah's old waist
coats, so that it would last a few days lon.
ger, when travelling peddler, with a huge
basket of china ornament on one arm and
a bundle on his shoulder, knocked at the
door. He nodded in an i~nsinuatirg manner
at me as | answered the S um mons
"Couldn'tI sell you anything this morn
ing, ma'am?'' said he, with a liberal dis
play of very white and even teeth, any
thing 10 the way of elegant mantle vases,
statutes, decorated china, match boxes"
81 have no money" said l. spiritlessly,
"And do not need any of your wares"
.sAh, you do not know what a splendid
article | have here" he persisted loosing
the strap which passed across his shoulder
and lowering his precious package
carefully to the floor. "a pair OF
Wedgewood vases. Oh, don't shake your
head, ma'am; l shan't charge you any
thing for looking at 'em, you know. I'm
certain you're an artist-all the ladies art
born artists-and this is really something
quite out Of the ordinary"