, 1891-03-10
A POOR UNFORTUNATE


He Has Plenty of Money, but He Is Al
ways Afraid OF Being Poor.
We know a man. who deserves a great
deal Of pity.
He IS possessed OF houses and lands and
stocks and bonds and horses and cattle,
aud the world calls him rich.
Almost everybody euvies him.
He wears his broadcloth and diamonds
every day. and drinks good wine, If some
body else will pay for it.
But this rich man feels very poor. His
whole life is n round Of direst apprehen-
sion. He is afraid the banks will break,
He studies the financial record as If his life
depended on what he read. He cannot
sleep II he hears that any one Of the rail
roads whose bonds he holds Is not paying
expense
He lies awake nights and worries about
fire, and II he hears the alarm he is out OF
bed and dressing with lightning speed. He
is afraid it may be some Of his buildings.
II anybody talks about murrain he grows
pale; he has thousands OF dollars invested
in cattle.
He is always talking about hard times.
It Is difficult, he says, for him to make nc
counts balance at the end OF the year. He
is at such an expense and so little coming
in. Taxes are enormous. outrageous, iur
fact, and how he IS going TO pay them is
more than be knows, There ought to be
something done to lower this tax rate; it
is eating everybody out OF house and home.
His fumily are under the cloud of his
poverty continually. He buys the cheap
est steak and the strongest butter. and
suggests to his wife that they should use
molasses instead OF sugar, times are so
hard. He wonders where on earth that
barrel Of hour has gone to. He never saw
unwinH4 ga ~, v1FVrb N,rrrH.a Vk.V, 10 10
they are not careful they'll nave to go to
the almshOuse yet.
He is always cutting down his wife's
supply Of pocket money. He knows she il
not so careful about her expenditures as
she might be, and he says he wishes he
could be n woman for a spell. He'd see to
those swindling drcssmakers and milliners
in a way they would not relish.
II any of his workmen are two minutes
behind time in the morning he groans and
feels bitterly aggrieved, and vows he will
cut them down 10 per cent. IL such a thing
occurs again. He'll-let them know that
he Is not going to pay them for loRlnR up
and down the streets. No, sir.
He beats everybody down. II only a few
cents can be saved, he says, it is worth
while. He wants to try and get enough
together to take him through. But times
are so hard and Investments so ticklish.
Ask him for charity, and he will look at
you as II he deemed you mad. Want him
TO give something for Smiths family Of
children. ten Of 'eml Why, good heavenl
whatever could Smith be a thinking Of to
raise so many children. Didn't he know
he was poor' Didn't he know it costs
money to feed so many mouthsi
For his part he has ways enough for
what little spare cash he gets to go with.
out feeding those ten children that had no
business to be born. What if Smith did
get killed by falling from the roof OF ono
Of his buildings that he was repairing
That wasn't his lookout; It was Smiths.
He hadn't any business to fall; he was
paid for staying up there and laying shin
giles, not falling down and getting killed.
Ask him for money for the minister.
He will laugh in your face, and instance
st. Paul and several other ancient worthless,
who preached for nothing and found them
selves. He doesn't want any minister. II
everybody behaved rs well as he does there
would be no need of ministers.
And we quite agree with him; for II all
the world were like him It certainly would
not be worth saving. 1t would not be a
paying investment-Kate Thorn in New
York Weekly.