The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-21
A Family Savings Bank.

Yes, off for Europe at the end of the
week and won't be back till Spring.
that was the gleeful and self satisfied
information that a coterie of newspaper
workers dining at Mouquin's last night
got from one of the youngest of their
number in answer to a question sug-
gested by the names in published list
of transatlantic passengers, says the
New York Commercial. Yes, that
names mine, and the wife and the boy
go with me, too. We sail on the Wai-
dersee next Saturday. l know by the
expression on all of your faces that
you're wondering how on earth l can
afford it, whether or not had a spare
hundred or two with which to get
short of Copper or whether some aunt
or cousin or grandmother has
died lately. Well. l can afford 1.-THE
time off as well as the money-and have
good bit of stuff left when l get back.
Now, boys, I'm going to blow you to
bottle while 1 tell you how and why.
When l was married twelve years
ago we started family bank'-a shall
low tin cracker-box, about IA inches by
4, with seven compartments in it, the
cover soldered on, but with a small
slot cut in it above each compartment.
These were labeled, in order: Outings,
bicycles, 'theaters,' books, Europe,
cross words and 'self-denal When
ever mamma or / felt inclined-and
could afford tive dropped a dollar or
a half or even nickel or a. penny into
enc or another of these slots. Those
small savings-the bank opened only
twice year-have been sufficient in
the past eleven years to buy three
wheels and all the books and theater
flcKpfS that nd ~ n
US on vacation trip every summer
except two; whenever either of us prac-
tised self denial in any form of eXpen~
diture half the money thus saved was
tucked away into that slot; when
either of us caught the other speaking
cross or even irritably a nickel was the
forfeit for that indulgence; and
whenever we had any spare change
over and above all these small calls on
our pocket books, it had to go into the
Europe slot Self denial, cross words
and Europe were opened only once a
year-on December 31-and their ac-
foundations were deposited in separate
savings bank funds and thus drew in
terest. After the boy got big enough we
let him into the game, too, and the way
he called us both down on cross words
made our heads swim for awhile-but
1t came so near curing us of the habit
that five years ago we raised the mini
mum on that slot to 10 cents an out
break, and the receipts since then have
been very irregular in that compart-
ment.
We'll in the Europe fund on Oct. 1
there was $500. 79-counting interest
and compound interest; in 'self-denial, >
about $3.50; and in cross words exactly
$611.l1. That foots up about $2662, and
quite enough to take three persons of
quiet tastes for a five months run
through Europe. We've rented our fat
furnished for six months, and you may
lCok for me back in April. You see, we
dumped cross words and 'self-denial'
in with Europe in order to have
enough for the trip, because l can get
off this winter better than at any 9th
er time. We take the bank along with
us-and l reckon therell be enough in
1t when we get back to buy us a table
dhote dinner the first night
The only comment was a composite
look of wonder and disgust on the four
other faces. Thrift gets scant recog-
milton and no courtesy in the Row.