The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1891-01-07

<iifCi trtt nave Dccfi uiihil cOuSciOu
that there was something wrong il
our economic system. They knew
that tneir profits were growing les
every year, but they could not tel
what VAS the matter. They ben
themselves to their toll with renew
ed energy They tried the eight-houl
system-that is, eight hours in tn,
forenoon and eight hours in the af
ternoon. But it was no good. Th,
profits grew still less and less. FL
naIly one gray haired fellow sal
down and went to thinking, and this
is what he thought:
81 have worked hard all my life
] have raised thousands of bushels
of wheat and corn, of oats aud rye
of potatoes, apples and beans and
hundreds Of head of horses, cattle
sheep. Aaegs, chickens, ducks and
geese, and my family has consumed
but avery small part of them. What
became of the remainder? i have
given away a little to the church
and charity, but it was very little;
i wish it had been more. But twhai
has become of the rest2 ! know we
never ate a hundreth part of the
wheat, corn and oats, or of the beel
and pork, or wore out in clothes a
tenth of the wool. Where did it all
go to? Who got it2"
Then he thought, and thought,
and at last he said:
al know where part of it went.
paid some of it out for taxes. Iwon-
der how much?"
Then he went to the cupboard and
from a drawer he took out bundle
of papers, some of them yellow with
age. They were his tax receipts.
He hunted up an old stump of a pen
Gil and called his daughter Mary,
who had been going to the district
school, and said to her:
81 want to call these figures, and
you set 'em down and add 'cm mp.
| want to see what they all come
tor"
He had his tax receipts for TWEEN
ty years, and when Mary had added
them up and "proved" the sum, as
she had been taught in school, and
she was sure she was right, she said
that the sum of all the figures
amounted to 81 ,l4O,57. But the old
man shook his head and said: ait
don't account for it all, it don't ac-
count for it ALL"
aDon't account for what, papa?''
asked Mary.
"Why, all the wheat, and corn,
and pork, and wool, and beans, and
garden stuff and other things have
raised"
"Didn't we eat it?"
"Why, bless you, child, we could
not have eaten one-thousandth part
of it."
"Did anybody steal it?"
"Now, my child, you ought to be
ashamed of yourself. You know all
our neighbors are honest" (Right
here the old farmer was wrong)
The old man worried about what
had become of his crops. The moro
he thought about it the more he felt
sure he had not consumed them.
One day he said to his wife:
"Mother do you know where the
tax receipts are?"
"In the cupboard drawer"
care you sure that they are all
there?"
al am sure. There is not another
one about the house"
Bring them here. / want to look
over them"
The good wife brought them
He spread them out on the table
and looked them over. They were
all there, for every year for twenty
years. Still the old man worried
and wondered about what had be-
come of his crops. AT last he saidl
Mother, how much do you sup
pose we have given to the preacher,
the missionary societies and such
kind of things2"
eve have never had the doctor, -
she replied, .but five times, and we
have paid him in all about $50 or
$50, and l have kept an account of
what ] have paid to tho church.
will see"
In few moments the old lady
returned and said:
ave have paid to the church, the
missionary societies and things like
that s2S7.5O. 1t isn't much more
than SO a year. DO you think it is
too much"
mo, no, mother" he replied, sit