The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-05-11
BY EDGAR L. VINCENT.

BY EDGAR L. VINCENT.
Three thousand dollars is not a
great deal of money, as reckoued in
the figures of the street in our times,
when the man that is not worth bis
millions is scarcely fit to live; and
yet, if there was anything in the world
that Sam Markham wanted and want
ed bad it was just three thousand dol
lars. That would be enough. He
knew if he had that sum he would be
perfectly happy. He would not care
whether he ever had any more or not.
He would be willing to work for years
if need be, without getting ahead a
single dollar.
II do want to clear up the mort.
gage, Molly" he said when his wife
asked him why he was so anxious to
get that particular amount of money.
That was the first time Molly had
ever heard that there was a claim
against the little home. He had never
said word about it before. But why
should he? She was such a dear
little woman. Business was a mys-
terry to her; why should her head be
bothered with it
But that only showed how little
Sam knew about it. No sooner had
he mentioned the thing than she made
him sit down and tell her all about
it. And the look on her face made
Sam want to clear the debt more than
ever. They had not been married
very long. Sans love for Molly was
the purest a man ever had for wo-
man. A dear, good fellow, but not
very practical ; so you would say of
him. Molly was so sweet, so gentle
and so ignorant of everything that
pertained to the bread and butter side
of life, that it did rot seem to her
simple minded husband that it would
be at all right or proper for him to
distress her with affairs like a mort
gage on her home.
So when the time came to be mar
ried and settle down, Sam took his
pretty wife and went out to the new
home without word to show that it
was not really their home. Now that
she had learned that it was not clear,
it hurt her little to think that Sam
had not been just as open and above
board 1as she thought he ought to have
been.
But she knew Sam had not intend
ed to deceive her. 1t was just be-
cause he wanted to save her from the
trouble of worrying about the debt.
And when he had told her how it
was, she simply kissed him and said
sweetly:
ooh, well. Sam, that will come all
right. We will save it out of your
salary in a little while. Just be true /"
Still, saving much on salary of
seventy five dollars a month is not
such an easy matter as it might be.
1t caused Sam some little trouble to
make ends meet and keep up the in
terest, saying nothing about making
payments on the principal. Some
how things kept coming. Coal bills
made quite hole in his purse. The
house had to be shingled and painted.
There were some of the rooms that
needed new paper. And then, Sam
put ten dollars week into the hands
of Molly for the running expenses of
the house. Altogether it kept him
pretty busy to steer his little craft
through the breakers from month to
month.
And that was why Sam felt in
clined to be serious when the fellows
first proposed that he should go to
the legislature. He was no politi
clan. There were no webs between
his toes to fit him for such sailing as
that. He had never taken any part
even in the caucuses held in his ward.
If the proposition had been made to
him to take a trip to the moon, it
would not have come with greater
surprise to him than it did when
Major Barton, the wheelhorse of the
Republican party in town, came to
Sam and told him that the organiza-
tion would feel proud to be repre-
sented at the State capitol by man
like him.
Sam did not stop to think then what
the organization might be. To his
guileless mind it meant nothing in
the world. The one great fact was
that he should have been selected for
this honor. And then, there was the
salary. Twelve hundred dollars for
two or three months work, and home
every Friday night if he saw fit to
come, and of course home would be
the place he would start for the mo-
ment duty let go its hold on him.
est might be a help to you to go
for year or two."
Help? Sam thought likely it would.
Why, he could save every dollar Of
his salary; he felt sure of that. And
every cent of it should be turned to-
ward paying off the mortgage. 1t
would not take long to clear up the
debt. And then, the honor of it,
too. His head was dizzy for mo-
ment, but he must keep steady hand
now, or this bird would slip out oi
his hand. It would not do to be toe
anxious. So he promised to think il
over.
"Better not take too long thinking
it over, Sam. Always big push fol