The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1899-03-16
\ MISER'S ROMANCE.
George Pike was known as the stingi.

n MlD1Ih - NOM A1SANA1e
George Pike was known as the stingi-
est man in Monroe cou atty.
He lived alone ON a 200 acre farm.
did his own cooking, washed his own
clothes and 1nended the same. At mend
ing he was an expert. for it was COM
mon talk that he had worn one suit of
clothes ten years. No one in the neigh
borhood knew his exact age, but he
looked to be on the shady side OF 40.
Neither did any one have authentic in
formation az to the extent of his wealth
He was afraid of banks and kept his
thousands in some secret hiding place
about the house.
That such man should be bachelor
was quite in order No doubt he looked
upon the question of marriage in the
same light that he viewed all other
propositions-from the standpoint OF
probable cost He seldom called upon q
girl. Occasionally when he had ascer-
tanned in advance that there would be
no charge for refreshments he would at
tend church social, his grain leather
boots bright with stove polish and his
coat buttoned tightly over his gray
flannel shirt. Vests in his estimation
were in the same class with wives
luxuries to be enjoyed only by the reck-
lessly rich.
AT one Of these church affairs he met
the daughter of farmer who had re-
Gently moved into the neighborhood.
She was a lass of rare beauty. and it
was no wonder that the misery bache-
lor exerted himself to Guido the younger
men in witty sayings and pleasant
speeches to her.
AS he drove home in his squeaky
spring wagon behind old Esau, the mule
he had been driving for II years, the
vision of the rosy checked, brown eyed
maid dweits persistently in his mind,
and he caught himself repeating he,
name over and ever again:
Mabel Harvey. Mabel Harvey.
Nab Git up there, Esau!''
He INTERRUPTED his musings on the
fair Mabel with q savage swish Of thu
reins and command to the aged ami
NAL, which ad taken advantage of it,
masters abstraction to slacken its gait
to slow walk.
81 can't hc a-thinkin of gals and sicl
nonsense, exclaimed the farmer aloud
"Wimmin is only expense and trouble
anyhow"
1t was brave attempt to Danish tn,
memory of the girl. but it failed. Fiv'
minutes later Esau had resumed tn
81 xryo1Ir nd tho no hn1 nv in
dreanily at the stars, going over in hi
mind the incidents at the church socia
with the pretty Mabel as the cente
figure.
Several times in the night he awok'
from a restless sleep to think of tn
girl. He could not drive away the con
slant contemplation of her. Whether IL
the fields or in the stable, the kitche,
or the sitting room, Mabel Harvey wa
the SUBJECTS his thoughts.
Two weeks passed. He met her tn
second time at the church. On the wa,
home that night Esau's pace was abso
lutely snailish. Pike ceased to try t.
escape from the fascination. But thel
terrible battle arose between the iml
of ayarice and the love sprite. Through
out his life the bachelor had denies
himself every pleasure and the gratifi
cation of every within for economy
sake. Why should he break the rule be
cause a certain girl seemed thousand
fold more attractive to him than al
others3 Then he remembered how sh
had smiled at his witticisms, and hi
vanity was touched. He argued himsel
into the belief that if he should wan
to marry her she would have him.
I'm richer than any single teller j,
the county. and she must know it, i" h
unused. Goals r great after fellers witt
money. an guess she's a good deal lik
the rest of 'em.
/ But he could not come to final de
cision to inaugnrate the counting
"Wimmin is powerful extravagant.
This thought invariably shattered hi
dreams Of welded life.
One day an idea came to him FL
would experiment and ascertain If b
could afford, according to his notion o
expense, to support a wife.
EVERY time buy any thing for mysel
III jest git twice as much as usual. ana
I'll purity nigh know before long hoy
much it nd cost for the keep of
wife. He smiled complacently at whs
he considered the sure evidence of al
ingenuity that would lead to the solu
ton of the problem which was vexin
him.
I'm try 1t for month. and if j
Amt too expenssful tn go after tina
| gal.