St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-08-04
WAS OUT OF BALANCE
BY ". T. sEgReMs.


stool and stretched himself wearily, and
then gleam Of exaltation lighted his eyeaa
he thought that once more he had sindicated
himself and his boast that nd discrepancy
| in accounts could fool him.
Mr.. Bronson was a fairly prosperous man.
running his own business, which brought
him in nice little income. He had been
bookkeeper in earlier years, but when his
father, well-to-de coal merchant, died, he
left his business to bis only son Fred. d
business worth very mueh-more than it waa
popularly supposed to be.
He kept his own books after going into
business for himself, and it was hobby
with him 10 take off his trial balance every
month, Just as he had done in the old days,
and then to file it away just as carefully al
if he had been working tor The most exacting
employer IN this respect.
The first OF the month had come and gone.
and he was having some trouble IN balancing
his cash book. There was hundred dol
lars somewhere that would keep out of his
reach He footed this and he footed that;
he checked and recheeked; he cudgeled his
brains for any payment that might have es-
capped entry, and then he. footed all over
again Nine, ten, eleven o'clock came, and
it seemed to him, the, twentieth time, he dis
covered in almost the last series of disburse-
ments difference of one in the hundreds
column between the amount Of the total he
now obtained and his previous figures, the
difference being due to badly made3.
Il say, Fred, come here and see what /
have fallen heir to- This was the first
thing that greeted his ears on the morn
1,
as he followed bis wife into the parior Of
their home he was amazed to see on the
parlor floor beautiful rug that had moi
been there the day before.
why, where did you get this, my dears"
he asked.
THAT, sir, is for me to know and you TO
find out, she answered, with mischievoua
twinkle of her eyes.
.tWeIl, where did you get it, Surely,
surely he gasped, Aunt Margaret didn't
send il to your
aNo, indeed, sir! Aunt Margaret has
something else to do with her money than
to keep a spendthrift family like this in
rugs. Guess again
Uncle Joe. then p"
Uncle Joe, indeed! | should say not.
When we get a rug from Uncle Joe shall
give banquet to all my friends in com
inemoration OF the event. But maybe this
will help you in your guessing, and che
brew open the door Of the library, showing
| comfortable leather chair which spoke
ar The luxury to be found in its depths
why, Lou, am daft, or is this some op-
.:cal delusions"
Whether you are daft or not, is not for
Sc to say. would not presume to pass judg-
,;ient on such a matter, as it might be re-
!ection on my good taste in marrying a
man given to such capers, but whether the
hair is real or not, sit in it and sec"
Well, Lou, you certainly must have some
aod fairy to look after you =
Yes, the fairies are good to me once in
while, not often, though she added, re-
Heetiyely; mot often as good as this, but
then, you know, Fred, you are after all the
very best fairy, even if You don't mean to
be, and on the whole You are pretty good
fellow, even if ! do say that you are little
stingy sometimes"
Me? What have | got to do with itg~
he demanded
Oh, my, bnt you're slow I suppose,
though, must help ron out Of this fog, as
dutiful wife should. Well, it was thiR
way and she perched herself on the arna
of the chair by his side. You told me the
other day that might as well give away
that old black vest Of yours, and as Mra
Robinson was here day before yesterday.I
gave her the vest for her boy. but before
giving it to her went through the pockets
10 Wifely prerogative) to see. if there was
anything worth having in them, and, sure
enough, stumbled across d 800 bill
Here Fred turned red, then white, but
his wife went on: I thought, now ii my
chance to get that rug and chair I've been
wanting, as concluded that what you had
given to me to give away IsAad a perfect
right to keep for myself If wanted to, 30 Z
did both; gave away the vest and kept the
bill. Now, you see
Great Scottl broke in her husband, who
had been getting more uneasy as the mar
ratiyel proceeded, you don't mean to say
you spent that hundred dollars without SAY
ing d word to me about i'll"
The evidence is before you, my dear,
she replied, calmly. Wasn't that all rightf
Didn't You give the vest to me to do as I
pleased with"
Yes, but never suspected there was any
thing in the pockets"
Neither did !, but ] took the preeaution
to look, just the sans"
Well, think you might have told ms
about It, he growled. Il remember. nov,
| took that bill out Of the cash box the other
day TO pay Brooks with, and forgot to do It,
50 ! suppose I left it in the pocket Of that
vest
Cant help that, Fred; the only difference
is that, instead Of yourspaying Brooks with
it, paid the furniture people with it for
what you have long promised me- but have
never bought" IS
But, Lou, what senseless trick 1t waa
70 spend money in that reckless fashion"
No more senseless or reckless, my dear.
han for you to leave it in an old vest pocket,
and then tell me to give the vest away
But to spend so much money at one tins
or furniture, when / need all the money
an get in my business.
See here. Fred; suppose had given that
rest away to ragnan without going
through the pockets, should we be as vel
II as we are now Thank you, ] like my
'ug and chair better than that"
Now, Fred was, as his wife said, good
ellow, though little stingy il money mat.
ers, and his good fellowship soon got the
etter Of his bad hnrnor. so that he came
q look upon the whole thing as hundred
lellar joke on himself, and before Breakfast
vas over be was chatting with his wife az
Ftyly as ever.
1t was only when be was on his way to the
flee that it dawned On him that with that
hundred dollars taken from his cash, but
lot accounted for, there must be something
yrong with his cash balance A glance at
is check book showed the balance to agrea
vith his cash book, but when he came ta
1ok carefully over his check book stubs he