The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-04-12

Mrs. Chesney cried herself to sleep that
| night and awakened the next morning
with every bone instinct with shooting
pains.
"And no wonder" said Spencer;
there's a foot of water in the cellar"
"We must have it drained" said Mr..
| Chesney, with an uneasy look; "but
| there's plenty of thints; to do first"
And now began a reign of the strictest
economy. Mr.. Chesneyh himself paid for
| everything with checks, and not IN arti-
Gle came into the house or went out Of it
| without his cognizance. New dresses
were frowned upon; spring bonnets were
| strictly interdicted; orders were issued
that old carpets should be reversed, and
broken dishes repaired with cement and
quicklime.
ssSave, v savel that is the chief
thing, he kept repeating briskly. WON
en- folks can't earn; they should try their
best to save"
"Boys," futtered Rosie, stTve an idea.
Mary Penn, who lives on the next farm,
you know, came over to see Elma and
me yesterday. Papa is earning his living;
we'll earn something too"
81 should like to know how" muttered
Spencer. 81 might hire out somewhere
if it wasn't for that wretched old horse,
and the pigs, and the wood chopping,
and"-
"Oh, but there is something that won't
| interfere with the chores, nor with
school" said cheerful little Rosie. "Just
listen-all I ask Of you is to listen"
And the weeks grew into months, and
the red leaves eddied down into little
swirls from the maple trees, and s'pig
killing time came, and with the aid Of a
lame, one eyed man Mr.. Chesney laid
down his own stock of pork and sau-
sages, with the sense of being triumph
antly economical.
The family had left off complaining
now. Apparently they were resigned to
their doom. But there were some things
that Mr.. Chesney could not explain at all.
A new rug frightened up the dismal
hues Of the parlor carpet; Rosie had a
crimson merino dress, trimmed with
black velvet bars; Elma's fall jacket
was edged with substantial black fur,
Hl0 ClllAth4 W dACt-
Mrs. Chesney had a new shawl in place
of the old garment which had been her
mothers before her.
He looked at the housekeeping books
with renewed vigilance. He consulted
the stubs of his checkbook with a notice
that nothing could escape.
'I-don't-know-how - they mar.
age it." said he, scratching his nose with
a lead pencil that he always carried. 81
hate mysteries, and I mean to be at the
bottom of this before I am an hour older.
Abigail" said he, chow is this? I've
given you no money; you've long left of
asking for money. How have you man
aged to, smarter yourself and the chill
dren up SO? I won't be cheated by my
own wife"
Elma sat down the pitcher which she
was wiping and came and stood before
her father with glittering eyes and cheeks
stained with crimson, 1ike a flag of battle.
Papa" she said, tyou must not speak
to mamma 80. Mamma would not cheat
you nor nobody else. It's money we've
earned ourselves"
"And il you don't believe it come and
see how" said Elma, finging down her
towel. "Mary Penn showed US. She
told us everything and gave us the first
swarm of bees. There are IA swarms
down there under the south wall. Spen-
Ger sold the honey for us. And we plant
ed all the nice flowers that grow down
in the meadow that You said was too
stony and barren for the sheep to pasture
upon, and viii dug and hoed around
them after all the chores were done, and
we sent boxes and bouquets of lilies and
yerbenas to the city every day by Mr..
PENIS wagon. And we gathered wild
strawberries before the sun was up and
got cherries out Of the old lane. And the
money is ours-eyery cent Of it."
Honey, ehg' said Mr.. Chesney, star
ing at the row Of hives, for Elma had
dragged him out into the November
moonlight to the scene Of action. well,
I've seen these manya time, but / always
s'posed they belonged to Squire PENIS
folks. And flowers and wild berriess
| Didn't think there was so much money
in 'em. Guess I'll try the business my
| self next year. Queer that the women
| folks should havegot the start of me-"
After that he regarded his family with
more respect. The mere fact that they
could earn money had elevated them i'm
mensely in his sight.
But when spring came he lost his able
coadjutor. Miss Elma incidentally an
nounced to him one day that she was go
ing to be married to Walter Penn the
next week.
"And mamma is coming to live with
u.s. added Elma. ''She can't stand the
| damp house and this hard work any
longer"
But Mrs. Chesney did not go to the
| Penn farm. Mr.. Chesney hired q stout
serving maid and laid drain pipes under
| the kitchen gtoop. # his wife really