The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-01-27
Mr.. Simpson looked thOu9htfullY


"lou would like to earn your own way.
would vnn:" he said finally Let me
SO: You are now sixteen. Well many
Il boy OF your age has been compelled
to paddle his own canoe, because he
had no home and parents todepend on.
I've just thought OF Il project and we II
see how YOU will like it.
Herbert listened intently.
although | should much prefer to
have You 90 to school, Mr.. Simpson
went on. yet. if you want to go to
work, will make you this proposals.: |
will furnish YOU your board and lodg-
ing free. but you must buy your own
clothing and any extras that you may
wish TO get. Board and lodging, you
see, would be worth about 81 week. "
Herbert looked at his father Guizzi-
cally to see if he was in carnc- t. See
inc that he was. he said: "All right.
I'll begin to look for work next Mon
day"
For nearly Il week. accordingly, Her
bert sought work. almost wearing out
pair of shoes trudging about over the
city.
''A man offered me dollar a week, =
he said, scornfullv. one day at the din
ncr table. Its terribly hard to find
the kind of work | can do"
Don't get discouraged, said his
father, chccrtully. Perhaps he was
glad to have his son learn something
of the real difficulties of life.
At length, Herbert found position
in store at 50 4 week. Early in the
morning he had to hurry to his work,
and it was often 10 o'clock ut night
before he reached home, sometimes so
weary that he could scarcely drag him
self up to his bed Mr. Simpson
watched his sons course with interest.
II need Il new pair OF shoes, father"
Herbert said, ut the close of the first
week. i've Worn out my old pair
tramping around town"
Il thought, my son, that our bargain
was for you to furnish your own cloth
ing from your wages" said Mr. Simp-
| son.
"Oh, ycs, forgot and lIerberts 5
face was bent thou.h;fully over his
plate.
The pair of shoes cost s.. As Her
bert handed the money over to the
clerk, his thoughts ran thus: There
goes every cent of my week 5 wages
for Il pair of shoes, too! Id like to
know how long it will take to save
enough to get my gun at this rate!'
After he had worked four weeks
more he found that he needed new
suit for Sunday. He fond his old
one being too much worn and soiled,
and that a new suit would cost SIG,
and even then he felt that it had
cheap look But he had only Sl2, and
so he had to 20 to church and Sunday
school in the soied suit for two more
Sundays. 1t was humiliatiEg, but he
set his teeth and swallowed the lump
in his throat. He was learning his
first lessons in the fine art of economy.
"Thcre 90 all my wages to date he
remarked, with somewhat bitter
laugh. as he paid over the SIG for the
suit. MY! how much it costs for
clothes! Not cent saved yet for my
gun and hunters suit"
lie was now receiving 81 Ter week.
The next week wages went for Il hat,
shirt, and collars and cuffs.
GLOW one must watch the pennies!
| can't even get me Il tie, or Il shirt
stud, or pair of cuff buttons until
I've earned more money. No wonder
father used to watch his bank account
50 closely!'
In this way the spring and summer
passed. One evening, ON Herbert's re
turn from Il day of intense lrudgery,
Clara sidled up to him AMI said:
"You'rc earning lots Of money now,
aren't you. lIerbert?'
"les, indeed he replied, laughing
ruefully. 1--we found gold mine.
| I'll soon be millionaire
"Well, then," coaxed the selfish girl,
II think you might buy me that album
its so lovely-and piece of bric-a-
brac | saw in the store today"
"How much would they cost"
"'The album. only s.; the bric-a-brac,
S3-SS in all
"Only SS.' repeated Herbert with
Lofty sccrn IL should have to work
or two weeks, almost night and day,
Ike Il slave. to earn that sum- No.no,
my elegant lady. | can't afford to get
slch uxureS.'
You re becoming as cloSc-iisted as
father is" poutcI Clara. Il think
you re real mean. so you arr.'
Without replying, Herbert rose and
stalkrd thou"httully up to bed. The
reference to his fathers "cloSc-fsted-
ness made him mr,litativc
at was selfish of Clara to ask it of
me, he muttcrrd. She might know
by this time how hard it is to get money,
even for necessary things. to say moth
ing OF lnNnric~. But then that's the
way | used to think about father