Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-15

| want OF any more neckties. vo,, bava
| twelve now. And then To nav fftv
| cents LOT one am sure YOU can get
| avery nice one for TWENTY-FIVE"
| But. Grace, this is later STYLE
said he. ''o'
We'll IL you must have it. all right.
Let me see; you will need lust one dol
lar and twenty cents"
Tuesday morning passed unmarked
by any special event. Harry bought
| the coveted necktie during his noon
| hour, and then hurried back to his
work. He knew from the crowd COL
lected IN one OF the rooms that some
thing unusual had happened. and he
heard explanations such as "Poor lit
| tie thing" only support of her sick
mother" and the like Pushing his
way through. touching sight met his
gaze. A pretty little cash-girl. whom
he had often noticed on account of her
| modest and ladylike demeanor. was
| lying on bed which the clerks had
made or their wraps. and the doctor
was bending over her While hurry
ing to answer one of the impatient
calls OF the clerks she had slipped
down the stairs and broken her ankle.
"A bad fracture" said the doctor.
gravely. The tears were running
down her cheeks. and she exclaimed in
tones of anguish:
'Oh, my poor mother. what will she
do? She will starve."
A kind-hearted clerk was passing a
hat through the crowd which con
trbuted generously. She came to
Harry and said, with a winning smile:
"Oh, Mr.. Lynn. | know you will
give something to this poor child"
II would so much like to-" STAN
mered he. "but-but / am little short
today and have only enough money to
pay my fare home''
Looks of contempt followed him,
and such exclamations as That's 4
likely story! He always carries
money with HIM" IF were getting
the salary he is We're heard. His
sensitive and generous nature was
deeply wounded by these remarks,
and this little incident so unnerved
him that he made an error that re-
suited in considerable loss to the
house.
Before going home. he was sum
moned to conference with the senior
partner. With stern, yet kindly
voice he said:
Harry. you are as dear to me as an
own son would be- ana far more than
] regret the loss of money that your
blunder has caused us do I regret the
loss of my confidence in you. l think
you must have some secret trouble
for you do not act like yourself-you
who are usually so wide awake to the
interests of our house. | fear you are
riskins your money in some unwise
speculations. and are trying to get
rich too fast: for | was near when you
refused to contribute to the fund for
the little cash-girl. We have given her
a leave of absence with salary. AL
ways be humane, my boy; it pays in
this world, and the next
During this speech Harry's face was
q study. Modification and self
loathing We're written there, and he
said with an effort:
For reasons that I cannot explain.
] did not have the money today to
give to the little girl as l should like
to have done: and as l read the looks
of contempt on the faces of those
around me it so unnerved me that l
could not fix my mind on my work.
The old man grasped the hand of the
younger one and said heartily:
Harry. my boy, pardon me. l have
YOU
When he reached home that night.
instead of the usual abundant repast.
there was nothing on the table but
graham bread and milk. He looked at
his wife in amaZement, and said.
Why, Grace. what does this mean?
Is this all that you have to eat?"
Yes. Harry, l was reading today
that the wheat from which this bread
is made contains all the elements
necessary for the support of life, and
| thought with milk to make it slip
down easily, we might get along very
nicely. 1t is all that l want tonight"
'Confound it, Grace" said he. argri-
Iy, this is carrying your ideas of
economy too far. l will go down to the
and get my dinner He
started to the door, but recollected
suddenly that he had no money; and
rather than ask her for any, seated
himself at the table and forced down
the bread and milk. of which he was
not particularly fond. He took refuge
behind his newspaper. and maintained
a gloomy silence all the evening.
The next morning. with . deter
mined look in his eye he said:
Nov. really, Grace. YOU cut a fell
low 90 short. / must have a dollar
nc today
why, Harry" said she. cinging
tightly to her purse. what for?'
"Oh, thunder, ! don't know what
for" snapped he. Give it to me with
out so many questions"
Very well. Harry: but I don't sec
why you need get so angry when you
have asked me that question several
hundred times since our marriage.
He waited to hear no more. but darted
out of the house. Her words cut
deeply. and he began to understand
his wife's tears and to realize the SER
vitude she had been in. He resolved
that he would never ask her for
another cent but accept meekly what
she gave him. He looked wistfully at
the Turkish bathrooms as he passed,
and thought how much good a bath
would do him in his nervous condition
how it would tone up his system and
enable him to better perform his