Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-01-25

hsuu' ho AtiiA '" h'i NiN'SA
NI speech. Instead she sal there
CnSE with her eyes iSei upon
M, .ri>sy's face aud her tIin hnsers
picking ncrvouSiy at her ties.
Haven't got any money She re-
pea;ed after pause. "iidvca't gDt
any money lett: Why. thea-why,
Thea, we'll have 10 take il out OF tine
savin> bank III 10 Boston. OF course.
Bradley must 20 10 COLLEGE. You
know he must. prissy.'
But Miss Ir!Ssy shook her head.
You don't understand. Tem.y," she
said. Il ought to have talked with
YOU about il long ago. can see now
that ought to; but. oh, dear father
always said you was too delicate 10
bother with money matters. and I've
been used to takin' all the care my
self. and 50 I've jest gone on and on,
w1rryin and plannil' and layin' awake
nights until can't 20 on any fur
Their Oh. Tempy" she cried, and the
tears rolled down her cheeks, you
don't understand. The money in the
Boston bank has all gone too. We
haven't got more than 500 LETT in the
world. and when that's gone She
waved her hands dcSpairingly.
But still Miss Tempy did not cOmpre-
bend.
why, all of it can't he gone" she
said. "All of the insurance money and
everything! Why. it was $1,000" She
mentioned the SUN reverentl* aud in
I'm awestrucl whisper.
Yes" said Miss PrisSy, trying hard
not to he impatient; yes. twas $1,000.
and father died over ten years ago,
and we've been livin' on it ever since"
But 5000, Prissy. Five thou
sand
"Oh, my soul and body, Anybody'd
think twas million. lest think. now:
Jest think, We've lived Oh it for pref
ty nigh eleven years: paid for our
clothes and Twin and havin' the house
painted six years ago. and
But it needed paintin'."
Needed it! | should think 1t did!
But it cost more'n we'd ought to spend,
jest the same. Oh. it's more my fault
than anybody's. Longs father lived
the place was kept up, and you and me
was used to havin' things as good as
our neighbors. and | went on and on,
never thinkin' we was too eXtravagant
until all at once the money that we
first put in the Harniss bank was used
up. And then it come home to me. as
you might say, and | realized what
we'd been dom. Oh, I've tried and
tried; scrimped here and pinched there.
What do you spose / sold the wood lot
for? And then the cranky swamp"
"Why, you said we didn't need 'en,
and it was too much trouble to run
'em."
said! oh, don't doubt / said all
sorts of things TO keep you from know.
in. But / sold 'em to help pay the
bills. And then you was took down
with the typhoid, and there was that
big doctors bill, and then Bradley
came, and he had to have clothes and
little money to spend, like the other
boys. And now.'
Miss PriSsy chOked, tried to 60 on,
and then broke down and cried heartily
and without restraint.
In all the years since the death of
Captain Allen Miss Tempy had never
seen her common sense, practical sister
give way like this. The sight alarmed
her much more than the story of the
financial situation had so far done.
She didn't fully understand the latter
yet, but every one of Miss Prissy's sobs
was to her a call for help that needed
an immediate answer.
There, there. there, DEAR she said
running to the other rocker and putting
her arm around her sisters neck. You
poor thing! You mustn't cry like that.
You've jest worried yourself sick
You're all worn out. l shouldn't be
surprised if you've got a little cold, too,
In that drafty schoohouse Let me
make you good, big cup of pepper
tea right away; now do"
Miss Prssy turned a sob into feeble
laugh.
"Oh, dear me, Tempy," she said, lay
Ing her hand on the others arm, Il
b'lieve you think pepper tea'll cure
anything. even an empty pocketbook.
wish 'twould pay bills; then, | don't
know but I'd drink hogshead. But
1t won't, nor cryin' won't. either. Set
down, and I'll tell you jest how things
are"
SO Miss Tempy reluctantly giving
up the pepper tea" idea for the pres
ent, went back to her chair, and Miss
Prlssy continued.
The money in the Boston savin's
bank is gone" she said, "and a year or
more ago | wrote to the broker folks
that bought the bond for us when
father died, and they sold it for me
and got little less than a thousand
dollars for it. | put the money into
the bank at Harniss, and, though I've
tried my best to be economical. there
amt but five hundred and eighty left.
That and the place here is all we've
got"
In bewildered fashion Miss Tempy
strove to grasp the situation.
Then were poor she said, "real
poor, anG thought we was rich. Well,
/ shall give up that new bonnet I was
gon' to have next spring, and I s'pose
! hadn't ought to subscribe to the
Comforter either. did think so much
of it."
I'm afraid We'll have to give up
more than the Comforter, Tempy. I've
thought and thought till my poor head
Is nearly worn through. We might sell
the place here, but 'twould be like
selln' our everlastin' souls-if faint
mreltgious to say it - and, besides.
property at Orham is so low now that