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

night and awakened the next morning
with every bone instinct with shooting
pains.
"And no wonder" said Spencer;
ethere's a foot of water in the cellar"
"We must have it drained" said Mr..
Chesney, with an uneasy look; shut
there's plenty of thinsl to do first"
And now began a reign Of the strictest
| economy. Mr.. Chesney himself paid for
| everything with checks, and not an 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.
"Save, save, savei that is the chief
thing" he kept repeating briskly. sfWom-
| en- folks can't earn; they should try their
| best to save"
Boys" futtered Rosie, GIVE 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;
well earn something too"
81 should like to know how" muttered
| Spencer. II 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. Gust
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 sspig
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 q
crimson merino dress, trimmed with
black velvet bars; Elma's fall jacket
was edged with substantial black fur,
and-grand climax of extravaganza
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 man.
| age it," said he, scratching his nose with
Il n lad ~a~os1 <la+ he aIrycxvc no,~{od fl
hate mysteries, and I mean to be at tbs
bottom Of this before 7 am an hour older.
Abigail" said he, sshow is this? I've
given you no money; you've long left of
asking for money. How have you mar.
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, like a flag of battle.
Papa she said. ''you must notspeak
to mamma 20. Mamma would not cheat
you nor nobody else. It's money we've
earned ourselves"
HAnd if 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 + 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 Win dug and hood around
them after all the chores were done, and
| we sent boxes and bouquets Of lilies and
verbenas to the city every day by Nh.
| Penn's wagon. And we gathered wild
strawberries before the sun wa up and
| got cherries out of the old lane. And the
money is otrs-every cent Of it."
"Honey, eh9' said Mr.. Chesney, star
| ing ct the row of hives, for EIma had
dragged him out into the November
moonlightto the scene Of action. well,
I've seen these many q time, but I 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 have got the start Of me-"
After that he regarded his family with
more respect. The mere fact that they
could earn money had elevated them inn
mensely in his sight.
But when spring came he lost his able
coadjutor. Miss Elma incidentally an
nounced to him n day that she was go
ing to be married to Walter Penn the
next week.
"And mamrn is coming to live with
us" added EIma. ssShe can't stand the
damp house and this hard work any
longer"
But Mrs. Chesney did not SO to the
Penn farm. Mr. Chesney hired q stout
serving maid and laid drain pipes under
the kitchen stoop. # his wife really