Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-09-22
ECONOMY IN GUM.
Come ChSyvers Save and Hide Their
Guilds If They Were
valuable

Economy in small things is a very
iaudable thing. There is even a pro-
verb to the effect that with strict econ
omy one may become rich. However,
that is a matter not altogether certain,
because If one will go over the list of
his economical friends he viii not find
rich one among them. They are
economical because they arc not rich,
and because it is necessary. If they
were rich they would not be econom-
zeal. 1t is the opinion of the best
judges that 1T takes few qualities 9th
er than economy to make man really
rich, as, for instance, capital, brains,
opportunity, marriage with a girl
worth a million, a recently deceased
wealthy relative, etc.
However, economy is a good thing
when it is necessary. 1t does not take
any great amount of acumen to live
well when one has plenty of money.
The clever thing is to live well without
it,
There are some things in which one
is unconsciously economical-in which
one saves when there is really no occa-
sion for it-and one of the most gener-
ally is the saving of gum by those who
have acquired the habit. Almost every
one who lives within the influence of
the gum chewer knows of the strange
habits of economy pursued by them.
Your habitual gum chewer is saver
and hider of his or her quid, and de
velops a secretive habit. Who has not
found a quid of cold, hard gum on the
under side of the arm of a chair or the
under edge of table? a window pane,
the head of the bed, a corner of the
wall, the edge of picture frame are
all good places in which to hide gum.
In large family of girls addicted to-
the gum habit it soon becomes difficult
to find places in which to hide gum,
and be sure of getting the right guild
when it is needed again. Mamie, for in
stance, would find n piece of gum on
the arm of papa's favorite chair. and
could not be sure whether it was hers
or Jessie's. She knew she had put a
quid there once upon a time. So at
last the girls parceled off the hiding
places in this fashion. Mamie was TO
hide her gum on the under side of the
mantel piece; Jessie had the chair
arms. Bessie the picture frames, Gus
sic the door jamb and Tessie the under
edge of the library table. Gussie was
=
fine row of cold bullets of gum stuck
along the door jamb, saved up for
rainy day.
One can overlook that sort of thing
in a girl, but when a man begins to
save his gum it is time to administer
rebuke. One day last week a man was
coming up Eleventh street from Main,
and a pretty little woman was going in
the opposite direction. Just as they
were a few feet apart the man lifted
his hat and lowered it in front of him
The woman glanced at him, and, not
recognizing him as an acquaintance,
took him for a masher. She SHE'D away
from him, and there came over her face
a look of alarm mingled with hauteur-
This changed TO one of relief, however.
when the man took a guild of gum from
his mouth and carefully stuck it in the
crown of his hat That man. according
to the proverb, should have been rich.
but as a matter of fact he was out of
work. and shabby to a degree
Economy in gum is not always sure
road TO wealth.-KaDsas City Star