The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-02-27
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Miss trissys face and her thin fingers
picking nervously at her dress.
Haven't got any money!" she re-
peated after Il pause Haven't got
any money left? Why. then why,
then, We'll have to take it out of the
savin's bank up to Boston. OF course,
Bradley must 90 to college You
know he must, Prissy.''
But Miss Prissy shook her head.
You don't understand. Tempy," she
said. Il ought to have talked with
you about it long ago. | can see now
that | ought to; but, oh. dear, father
always said you was too delicate to
bother with money matters, and I've
been used to takin' all the care my
self. and so I've jest gone on and on,
worryin and plannin' and layin' awake
nights until | can't go OH 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 left in the
world and when that's gone She
waved her hands despairingly.
But still Miss Tempy did not compre-
bend.
Why all of it can't be gomez she
raid. ".All of the insurance money and
everything, Why, it was $4,000 She
mentioned the sum reverently and in
IN awestruck whisper
Yes" said Miss Prissy, trying hard
rot to be impatient; yes, twas $1,000,
ind father died over ten years ago,
md we've been livin' on it ever since"
"But 5000, Prissy! Five thou
nnd''-
"Oh, my soul and body, Anybody'd
think twas million Jest think. now;
jest think, We've lived on it for pref
ty nigh eleven years; paid fer our
clothes and Twin and havin' the house
painted six years ago, and''-
But it needed paintin'"
Needed it, l should think it 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 havin7 things as good as
our neighbors, and went on and on,
never thinkin' we was too extravagant
until an at once the money that we
6rst put In the Harniss bank was used
! up. And then it come home to Inc. 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 s'pose / sold the wood lot
for? And then the cranky swamp"
why. you said we didn't need 'em,
and it was too much trouble to run
en-
'Saidr Oh, / don't doubt | said all
sorts OF things TO keep you from know
IN. But i sold 7em to help pay the
bills. And then you was took down
with the typhoid. and there was that
big doctors bin, and then Bradley
came. and he had to have clothes and
little money to spend, like ahe other
boys. And now'
Miss prissy .cho6ed, tried to go on.
and then broke down and cried heartily
and without restrafEt
In all tie 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 Il eall for laalp that needed
an immediate answer.
There, there, there. tdearr' 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 cut / shouldn't be
surprised If you've got "a little cold, TOO
In that drafty schoolhouse. Let me
make you good, big cup of pepper
tea right away: now do
Miss Prissy talrned "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 teall cure
anything, even an empty pocketbook.
wish 'twou1d pay bills; then. don't
know but I'd drink a hogshead But
! it won't nor cryin' won't either Set
down, and In 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 year Or
more ago 1 wrote TO the broker folks
that bought the bond for us when
father died. and they sold it for me
and got a little less than 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 ali we've
got"
In a bewildered fashion Miss Tempy
strove to grasp the situation.
"Then we're poor" she said, real
poor. and I thought we was rich. Well,
I shall give up that new bonnet was
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