The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-07-11
Our family Story.
MR.. PANGREW'S LESSON

supposed that Mrs. Pangrew was the
most prodigal of housewives when,
In reality, she was one who conducted
her housewifery with q wise economy.
tits the little dribbling waste in the
house that keeps most folks poor. A
woman will let o fortune leak out of q
mans pocket, and he " knows
where it's gone, by being wasteful with
the little things. The waste of a
penny here and q penny there makes
O big sum in the end. Jane, do be
keerful and savin' In your homework"
A few samples of the reproofs to
which Mrs. Pangrew was subjected by
her economical spouse might prove in
~teresting reminders to more than one
similarly afflicted housewife.
Coming into the kitchen one day, he
spied u bar of soap lying in q basin of
water which his wife had accidentally
dropped there q minute before. While
bathing her hands, one of the little
children fell from a chair, and, hasten
ing to it's rescue, the soap she was
using slipped from her hands and fell
into the water. 1t vas while Mrs.
Pangrew was comforting the child
that Mr.. Pangrew came into the room
and saw the soap.
"Good gracious, Jane |" he animated
~ ooO llt SGthO VI oOuD
meltin away in that water. What do
you mean by such extravaganza ?"
1.-THE soap dropped into the water
when 1 u to pick Rosy up, and 1
couldn't stop to take it out" replied
the wife.
"Why couldn't you ?" he asked alb
ruptly. "Rosy wouldn't q died I'm that
second. It's jest such wastefulness
that keeps us always hard up. It's
enough to discourage any man to know
that what he's workin' SO hard for is
being, wasted by his wife's keerless-
ness"
When 1t Is remembered hat the bar
OF soap costs only five cents, and that
in brieftime it lay in the water 1t could
not have dissolved more than one-tenth
of q cents worth, the readers SYM
pathies will no doubt be keenly enlisted
In behalf of Mr.. Pangrew's ruinous
loss.
professionally a loaf of bread was
buriqd, nec~essitating the loss Of the
crust, Mr.. Pangrew would reproach
his wife as earnestly as though the
loss involved their financial ruin.
When his wife would remind him that
some article of food was out he would
exclaim:
We'll, I never saw things give out
} as they do in this house. I'm Jest
always q buyin.' 1t didn't use to be SO
In my fathers family My mother
was keerful and made things last"
"How can 1 make things last ?" his
wife would say. "We have a large
family, and whenw we are daily drawing
from the groceries, how a they
last ?"
swell, 1 saw some rice out on the
ground the other day that had been
thrown out to the chickens. Talk of
bein' economical and feeding chickens
on rice at 10 cents a pound"
cit was a little rice that stuck to the
bottom of the kettle in cooking and
wasn't fit to eat" the annoyed wife
rejoined. 81 never waste any food
that is fit to eat"
"Well, that's jest where the point
lies," persisted her husband. IF you
was keerful in cooking there wouldn't
beoany such waste in the food"
1t was on the fuel in particular that
Mr.. Pangrew kept a close economical
eye. and kept up q continuous nagging
on the amount used.
81 can't see to the life of me how
you manage to use so much coal in
that Kitchen" he would say. 81
know / could do the work there and
not use half as much"
Many q time, after heaping such
~reproaches on his wife, Mr.. Pangrew
would go to town and spend so cents
for cigars. But that was not wasteful-
ness (; oh, no?
To say that Mrs. Pangrew had be-
come tired of this c~easeless and need
less harangue on domestic prodigality
Is no expression whatever of her feel
ings on the subject. She had become
SO worn out and Disguised with it that
the very mention of the word ECONOMY"
would produce o feeling of nausea
through her physical being the same
as IN to some people at the recol-
lection of swallowing pills OF taking
castor oil. And she had for q long
time revolved the question in her mind
If there was no way she could put an
end to such unjust prosecutions.
One summer morning this good lady
happened to SO to the barn, and found
her husband on the floor surrounded
by what seemed to be bushels of old har-
ness.
What are you doing ?" she asked.
My work harness is giving all out"
he replied, and Pm trying to patch
1t up with some of these old straps"
why you haven't had that harness
very long, have you ?" she inquired.
About fivesor six years." he replied.
You bought it for good harness,
didn't you?" she persisted in inquir-
Eyes, it was a first-class work har-
ness. / paid $25 for it,"
why, see how dry and cracked it
is" said his wife examining it more
closely. "Don't you ever Oil it
"Y-e-e-s."
How many times have you oiled it
since you had it?" continued the in
qusitive woman.
80, 1 don't know-two or three
times l guess" replied the economical
man.
mo wonder it's wearing out" said
his wife. "My father used to say that
q good harness would last fifteen years
If given good care. He made it q rule
to oil his harness every time 1t got
wet, and oiled 1t every few months any
way"
"Of course, a harness will last
longer with such care" Mr.. Pangrew
replied. "But Pm always 80 busy I
don't have time to oil mine"
Mrs. Pangrew stood for q few min.
ntes thinking, then turned and went
out of the barn.
A few days after glancing out of the
window, Mrs. Pangrew saw her hus-
band driving out Of his field with the
harvester. When he drove up she
asked:
"Have you been harvesting? I
didn't know the grain was ripe"
90 Nh Tim t,,at hrinusno tho bonyae.